CHILEAN RIESLING TAKES ON NEW YORK CITY

Top Riesling enthusiasts gathered at Hearth Restaurant in the East Village of New York City for a private tasting of Chilean Riesling and other aromatic white wines. The tasting was the most extensive collection of Riesling and aromatic whites ever gathered in the U.S. It included 15 wines tasted in three flights and showcased Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Viognier, Muscat, and dry Pedro Ximenez.

Attendees included well-respected, international wine writer, Stuart Pigott, Bar Boulud’s

Beverage Director, Michael Madrigale, MS, and lead wine writer for StarChefs.com and

Sommelier for the Waverly Inn, Jeff Harding. Paul Grieco, founder of Summer of Riesling and co-owner of Hearth Restaurant, also tasted the wines.

Chile is most famously known for its production of red wines and, of the whites, Sauvignon

Blanc and Chardonnay. This tasting, however, offered attendees the chance to take a closer look at the range of wines produced in Chile and understand the progress being made in white wines.

“We are very pleased that we could gather and present these wines in this tasting to such an elite group of people,” said Lori Tieszen, Executive Director of Wines of Chile USA. “The wines were showing very well and demonstrate the diversity of wines Chile has to offer.“

Wines tasted included: Falernia Pedro Ximinez Riserva 2010, Cartagena Riesling 2009, Concha y Toro Terrunyo Riesling 2011, Meli Dry Riesling 2011, Cono Sur Reserva Especial Riesling 2012, Casa Marin Miramar Vineyard Riesling, De Martino Viejas Tinajas Muscat 2012, Bisquerrt La Joya Gewurztraminer 2012, Cartagena Gewurztraminer 2011, Cono Sur Reserva Especial Gewurztraminer 2011, Casa Marin Casona Vineyard Gewurztraminer, Bisquertt La Joya Viognier 2012, Nuevo Mundo Reserve Viognier 2011, Estampa Estate Viognier, and Anakena Ona White Blend 2011.

“These aromatic whites definitively showed just how far Chile has come in developing a diverse range of varieties available in the U.S. market. The balance, structure and bracing acidity of the Rieslings in particular reflect a combination of technical expertise and expression of terroir from one of the most important new world wine producing countries,” said Jeff Harding.

“Although these wines are a small segment of Chilean wine, they are growing in importance,” continued Tieszen, “the tasting helps to paint a more complete picture of the Chilean wine industry and we look forward to expanding the range of Chilean wines offered in the U.S. in the future.”

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About Wines of Chile

Wines of Chile is an organization committed to promoting the quality and image of Chilean wine throughout the world. It has offices in Santiago, London, and New York, as well as representatives in Canada, Ireland, and Denmark. WOC also works closely with ProChile to develop and offer promotional and educational programs in Asia, Latin America and Europe. Wines of Chile’s 95 member wineries belong to Vinos de Chile and represent 93% of Chile’s bottled wine exports.