Sheep in the Vineyard, Wine from Organic Grapes in My Glass (#WorldWineTravel)

They had me at sheep in the vineyard.

Yes, the image of grazing sheep is pastoral. Beyond the pretty pictures, though, sheep serve a useful purpose in a vineyard. They cut the grass, aerate the soil and minimize compaction. Their manure adds nitrogen to enrich the soil and help healthy vines to grow and prosper.

So I was pleased to learn that Veramonte, a producer located in the Casablanca Valley of Chile, has been employing soil-enriching practices for more than a quarter of a century.

Culinary Cam outlines these practices in her World Wine Travel (#WorldWineTravel) preview post. She’s hosting this month’s theme, organic Chilean wines, just in time for Earth Day 2023. Thanks to Cam, many of us also received samples from Veramonte. Check out who’s blogging at the end of this post.

Please note that while the wines for this post were provided, opinions are my own.

Where are we going?

Casablanca Valley is located at the base of the Chilean Coast Range, about an hour’s drive northwest of the capital city of Santiago. This 20-mile-long valley is known for its crisp white wines, most notably made from Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay. Pinot Noir, a cool-climate red, is also grown here.

Because of its proximity to the Pacific Ocean, Casablanca Valley is strongly influenced by the cooling effects of the Humboldt Current that flows up the west coast of Chile from the Antarctic. Cool morning fog and afternoon breezes moderate the otherwise warm temperatures found this close to the equator. Casablanca also gets greater cloud cover than the rest of northern Chile. Altogether, the climate is favorable to developing balanced and complex white wines.

The region’s sandy clay soils are free draining, but it is believed the use of chemical fertilizers in the past caused an outbreak of nematodes – microscopic worms that damage vines by feeding on the roots. To combat this problem, growers have had to graft vines onto nematode-resistant rootstocks. (Source) All the more reason to count on sheep as natural fertilizers!

Details on the producer

Veramonte is located at the beginning of the Casablanca Valley, at the foot of the Coast Range. The vineyards are surrounded by over 6,000 acres of forest. Veramonte also has vineyards in Marchigüe, in the Colchagua Valley, less than 30 miles from the Pacific coast. Clay-loamy and rocky soils here offer ideal growing conditions for Carménère and Cabernet Sauvignon. (Source)

Agustín Huneeus, founder of Veramonte, was the first to invest in Casablanca when he started the winery in the late 1990s. Other brands and vineyards expanded into the area later. Today, Veramonte is a part of González Byass, a family company that dates back to 1835. (Source)

Veramonte follows organic practices throughout their estate. The company also partners with Kiss the Ground, a nonprofit organization that promotes regenerative agriculture. Veramonte donates to Kiss the Ground for every bottle of wine sold. (Source)

Three wines made from organic grapes

There’s nothing subtle about these Casablanca Valley single-varietal wines. All three punch out with fruity aromas and notably high acidity. New world, for sure.

2022 Veramonte Sauvignon Blanc, Casablanca Valley
Grapes are harvested at night to maintain fresh and bright acidity. The fruit goes straight to the press, where the juice sits for 24 hours. Then it is racked and separated from its gross lees and fermented clean at a low temperature in stainless steel tanks. – 2021 tech sheet
My tasting notes: Pale gold in color. Fruity aromas of tangerine and lime. Mouth-puckering high acidity and ripe pink grapefruit contribute to a crisp (but not tart) palate. Medium+ finish. Alcohol: 13.5%. At $9 average retail, a good value for price.

2022 Veramonte Chardonnay, Casablanca Valley
Grapes are harvested at first light and whole cluster pressed to obtain the structure provided by the stems. The juice sits for 24 hours and is then racked off. Fifteen percent of the wine is barrel fermented in neutral oak with wild yeasts for eight months; the rest goes into stainless steel tanks. Thirty percent of the wine undergoes spontaneous malolactic fermentation – 2020 tech sheet
My tasting notes: Gold in color. Freshly cut apple and pear on the nose with a faint hint of oak. Palate is round yet vibrant, but not buttery or toasty. High acidity and medium+ finish. Alcohol: 14%. Price: $29 average retail price. Of the three wines, this well-balanced, mellow Chardonnay is my favorite. Worth the price in my estimation.

2020 Veramonte Pinot Noir, Casablanca Valley
Grapes are harvested at night. Fifteen percent undergoes whole-cluster maceration and fermentation, achieving greater structure. The fruit is fermented in small open top tanks with native yeasts and spends eight months in oak. – 2020 tech sheet
My tasting notes: Ruby in color with translucent rim. Cherry, mushroom and a bit of eucalyptus on the nose. Medium+ acidity attacks the palate first, followed by cherry and clay and ending with fir and cedar on a long finish. Alcohol: 13.5% If fresh Pinot Noir is your jam, this one is a steal at $13 average retail price. Compare it to Oregon and California prices to appreciate the value.

Veggie pairings for Earth Day

I had two goals for this pairing: 1. Use Chilean recipes. 2. Choose vegetarian options.

Both recipes met the criteria. First up was pastel de choclo, a traditional beef and corn casserole. Sounds filling, right? I went with the veggie option by substituting mushrooms and eggplant for the beef. It tasted amazing! But unfortunately, the dish didn’t congeal into a Shepherd’s Pie consistency. More like a stew than a pie. The milky corn topping took the edge off the crisp Casablanca Valley wines.

The second recipe was a version of risotto de quinoa y pimientos amarillos, a quinoa risotto popular in both Chile and Bolivia. It’s a combination of quinoa, aji amarillo peppers, grated cheese, vegetable stock, butter, salt and pepper. I substituted sweet red peppers for the aji amarillo peppers because they were easier to find. Amounts were guesswork. The recipe doesn’t provide them. Here’s what I used:

1 cup red quinoa
2 cups vegetable stock
½ red pepper, chopped
1 tbsp. butter
1/3 cup grated parmesan

Instructions:

Rinse quinoa.
Sauté quinoa and chopped red pepper in oil or butter for 5 minutes.
Add vegetable stock, cover and lower heat to simmer.
Simmer until all liquid is absorbed.
Add butter, cheese and season to taste.

Guess what? It was wonderful! Especially when I added chopped, cooked broccoli. Again, the wines were delightful with this slightly cheesy quinoa risotto.

Read what all the bloggers are saying about these wines: