Diplomat Wine and Spirits Extravaganza – Connecting and Unifying New World Wines

Diplomat Wine and Spirits Extravaganza – Connecting and Unifying New World Wines.

Wine is more than the sum of its parts. Wine creates bonds and builds strong relations. Wine connects and unifies. We experienced this ourselves at the Diplomat Wine and Spirits Extravaganza organised by Diplomat Magazine. At the invitation of ProChile and the Embassy of Chile our Hermen attended the atmospheric reception style tasting event in the Leonardo Royal Hotel in The Hague.

Diplomat Magazine

Diplomat Magazine is a magazine for diplomats, by diplomats. Based on volunteering writers Diplomat Magazine exposes profound ideas and political debates, next to the organisation of cultural exchanges and events. The ‘Diplomat Wine and Spirits Extravaganza’ intents to facilitate wine producing countries to promote their wines.

Inspiring Tasting Scene

First impressions make a big difference and the ‘Diplomat Wine and Spirits Extravaganza’ fires away by setting the scene. Laid back atmosphere, relaxing live jazz sounds, chatting international guests, tasteful bites and last but not least fine wines. After all, that is what this is all about: wine. Both well-known wine producing countries like Chile and Australia and lesser known wine producing countries like Bolivia and Ecuador are present to show their gems. Diplomat Magazins’ Mayelinne de Lara emphasises the importance of giving unusual wine producing countries the change to show themselves. The attendance of these lesser known wine producing countries provides an unique opportunity to get to know wines off the beaten track.

Unique Growing Conditions Lead to Varied Wine Styles

Chilean Ambassador in the Netherlands Mr. Jaime A. Moscoso underlines Chilean unique growing conditions. Located between the peeks of the Andes in the east, and the Pacific in the west, Chile has an unusual geographic profile. Abundant sunshine, great variation in sub climates and sub terroirs and not to be underestimated cooling influences from the Andes and Pacific contribute to the success of a broad range of Chilean wine styles. To find out how that works out, we taste a well selected cross-section of Chilean wines.

We start with the broad shouldered ‘Bo’ Extra Brut by Casas del Bosque, a well-made sparkling wine from Casablanca Valley Chardonnay and Pinot Noir made by the traditional method. We all know German Riesling, but do you know Chilean Riesling? Viña Casa Marín produces a ripe Kabinett style Riesling from the sunny but slightly cooler San Antonio Valley. From the same winery we taste a couple of refreshing tropical Sauvignon Blanc’s in various styles. Both the sparkling and white wines offer interesting alternatives to the established names. The wines of Viña Casa Marín are imported in the Netherlands by Wijnkoperij Okhuysen.

The Important Role of Big Wine Companies

Speaking about Chili, one cannot pass the big wine companies. These companies play an important role in the development of the flourishing Chilean wine industry. We are satisfied by the excellent price/quality ratio of these wines. Exemplary are the wines from the 1865 range by Viña San Pedro, part the VSPT Wine Group. Amongst others we taste their Sauvignon Blanc, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Carménère and a Bordeaux blend called Sideral. All of these wines provide good grape expressions and a consistent quality. Reasonable pricing makes these wines a good buy. The wines of Viña San Pedro are imported in the Netherlands by Sligro Food Group.  

Viña Montes is one of the leading wine companies in Chile. Montes is one of the founders of Chilean quality improvement movement. Their new wine is called Wings and shows the true potential of Chilean wines in general and the distinctive role of Chilean flagship grapes like Carménère in particular. The Wings is fully made out of Carménère and truly is a gem. Although the wine is rich and fully loaded it also is astonishing elegant and fresh. The wines of Viña Montes are imported in the Netherlands by Delta Wines – DGS Wijnen.

Undiscovered Gems

We conclude this article with a wine that does requires special attention: a field blend of mainly Cinsault and partly Muscat, Semillon, Carignan and País from the Itata valley. This wine made by Cinsault master Pedro Parra (imported in the Netherlands by Pallas Wines) is a textbook example of Itata Cinsault. Juicy, lively and incredible digestible. This wine really caught our attention and we decided to get on with it. In the short term we will delve into the Chilean Itata Valley by visiting this interesting upcoming wine region. Please stay tuned for the report on our website.

By organizing the Diplomat Wine and Spirits Extravaganza Diplomat Magazine succeed to introduce their guests both to well know high quality wines and to wines beyond the standard paths. At the tasting station of Chile, we experienced an insightful reintroduction in the broad range of Chilean wines.

We thank the Embassy of Chile for the invitation and Diplomats Magazine for the good care. We are looking forward to further explore the various terroirs Chile, and in particular the terroirs of the Itata Valley, soon. This article is written by our own Hermen Jansen (Origine Wijnen).