Social project
One producer taking a notable step outside its comfort zone is Viña San Pedro Tarapacá (VSPT). One of Chile’s winemaking behemoths, also owner of Viña Leyda, the group has been slowly but surely shifting its trajectory in recent years. Sustainability has been a focus – and this has led to one particular initiative that could be a game-changer in Chile.
Buchahueico is a place deep in the Malleco region in southern Chile. It’s also a Mapuche community that, thanks to VSPT and government grants, is now growing 15ha of impeccable Pinot Noir vineyards and making the striking Tayu brand (pictured left).
Historically, the indigenous Mapuche people were largely disenfranchised by the Chilean state in the 19th century, after fiercely (and successfully) resisting incursions into their lands in southern Chile for several centuries. Ongoing social unrest has ensued, aimed largely at the Carabineros (police force) and big forestry companies, while many younger Mapuche have left their homelands for city life.
VSPT’s Buchahueico project is an attempt to set a precedent for change. ‘Our mission is to use wine as a tool to help the country understand the richness and potential of the Mapuche culture,’ enthuses experienced viticulturist Pedro Izquierdo, who is leading the project along with VSPT’s Juan Cury, Viña
Vineyard of Viña Casa Silva above the lake at Lago Ranco (see p35)
Viviana Navarrete, Vi–a Leyda
Leyda winemaker Viviana Navarrete, and Buchahueico family member Juan Curín.
‘It’s using wine as a tool for social disruption,’ Izquierdo continues. ‘We Chileans are proud of our culture. And we’re all very aware of our historic debt: we want to right the wrongs. We wanted to do something with real social impact.’
The aim of the project is to partner the local community in establishing a viable wine-growing and, ultimately, winemaking operation that can stand alone without external input or aid. To this end, establishment costs are loans to be repaid as VSPT buys the fruit, which is contracted for 10 years. The vines are planted in 2.5ha blocks, each managed by an individual family within the Buchahueico community – ‘to keep things on a human scale’, says Navarrete.
‘This was a land of conflict,’ says a quietly spoken Juan Curín, whose family were the first to establish a vineyard in the community. ‘The sense of struggle and resentment was strong. But now this project is helping relieve the pain.’ His father, Juan Daniel, adds: ‘This is helping heal our wounds – it’s like a reparation for the sufferings of the past.’
It was a moving moment sitting with several families, in an impeccably tended vineyard, tasting the fruit of such a significant initiative. Navarrete commented on the lessons she and the VSPT have learned from the Mapuche, including an emphasis on caring for the natural environment and the
significant role of women in work. Of course, long-term success is not a given and much will depend on how the project beds in over time and the traction it generates. But, as Izquierdo comments: ‘This is sustainability in action.’
Southern scene
What also bodes well for the Buchaheico project is the momentum building behind the south of Chile as a credible winemaking force. In Chile, the simplistic generalisation is that north means hot and dry, while south means cool and wet (the country’s feet rest in icy Antarctic territory). As the climate slowly warms up, and the nation struggles with a protracted water shortage, producers are increasingly looking south. The process has been slow because the country’s historic wine heartlands are in central Chile, easily accessible from the capital Santiago (home to about 40% of the population, including many winemakers and owners). The south is a long way away. But an increasing number of pioneers are making the move, to excellent effect.
Perhaps the most striking recent project in the south has been that of Montes. In recent years, this hitherto stalwart of the traditional, Colchagua-based Chilean winemaking scene has edged increasingly into marginal territory (its Outer Limits line being one example). Then, in 2018, Montes took its biggest leap yet