CHILEAN WINE FEST SPILLS INTO NEW YORK

Wednesday, 17 September 2008 
New York will be hosting the third “Salud! Chilean Wine Fest,” in conjuction with Wines of Chile – a promotional body that represents ninety Chilean wineries - beginning from the 18th September, Chile’s independence day, and continuing up until the end of the month.

The festival will give consumers the opportunity to taste Chilean wines by the glass at thirty most acclaimed restaurants and to participate in free in-store tastings at ten of the top wine specialist shops in the Big Apple, allowing them to familiarize themselves with these authentic wines.

Juan Somavía, Managing Director of Wines of Chile, says, ‘The Salud program has enabled some of New York’s best restaurants to introduce their customers to the exciting wines that are now emerging from Chile. In hosting Chilean wine tastings, retailers around the city have come to recognize the growing demand for wine education and we are thrilled to be able to satisfy this need.”

Wines that will be available at taster sessions are those that are most known in Chile, such as Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenere, Pinot Noir y Syrah, as well as a variety of top of the range red wines.

In recent years, Chile has seeked out alternative areas with cooler climates to grow and improve the quality of their grape, being successful with Pinot Noir and Syrah. They wish to continue spreading this success to their other wines. Overall, Chilean wine has rapidly increased its presence in the U.S. market, climbing 13% by volume in 2007.