First Berlin Tasting in Dubai Marked Historic Results for Viña Errázuriz Icon Wines
Over 40 attendees, including sommeliers, members of the Middle East wine trade and some VIP consumers, gathered last Thursday evening, March 14th of 2013, at the iconic Armani Hotel Dubai, located in the tallest building of the world, the Burj Khalifa, to participate in the first Berlin Tasting to be held in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), in order to blind taste historic vintages of Chilean Icon wines, such as Don Maximiano Founder’s Reserve, Viñedo Chadwick and Seña, alongside some classic vintages of Bordeaux Premiers Grands Crus Classés and one top Californian wine, aiming to demonstrate the world-class ageing potential of these wines. Read More >
In a new milestone for Chilean wines, the blind tasting results from Dubai placed Seña 2010 –the latest vintage released in September last year–, as the favourite wine. In an outstanding second place, Viña Errázuriz flagship wine Don MaximianoFounder’s Reserve 2009, while another Seña, vintage 2009, took the third place.
In addition to being such a successful edition of this initiative, this Berlin Tasting was also the inaugural experience in Dubai, opening a very important market and new palates to this experience.
This event counted with the attendance of Chile’s Ambassador in the UAE, Mr. Jean Paul Tarud, and was conducted as moderators by Mr. Tony Dodds, Head of Group Agency Wine for MMI Dubai –Viña Errázuriz importer in Dubai–, and Mr. Rodrigo Plass, Errázuriz Regional Director for Europe, Africa and Middle East.
“A very relevant result of this evening is that many of the attending French sommeliers, even still voting for their homeland-wines, recognized that this event did in fact open their minds and changed the way they see Chile,” expressed Rodrigo Plass after the tasting.
Eduardo Chadwick said, while commenting the outcome, “the results of this tasting once again consistently demonstrate that our Icon wines, and indeed many of the top wines of Chile, possess the quality, pedigree and ageability that are comparable to the very best wines of the world.”
Sulaf Al’zubi, Sarah Belanger, John Bennie, Alexis Blondel, Charles Boghos, Julien Cluzeau, Julien Coron, Houda Dabbousi, Dalia Gamali, Kapil Gandhi, Olivier Gasselin, Bastien Gautheron, Maik Hesmert, Pooja Kumar, Alasdair Lawson-Dick, Jacqueline Lewis, Alex Liddle, Jean-Yves Mallat, Nicholas Murcott, Robin Padgett, Julien Pagliuchi, Sandeep Palaprameethal, Gilles Pinglo, Karl Pons, Carlos Salas Soto, Sascha Sippy, Magalie Sohas, Jean Paul Tarud, George Triplow, Jonathan Walsh.
Blind tasting and identifying wine can seem like a magician’s trick. Its mystique keeps people intrigued and enthralled. …what role does blind tasting play in wine appreciation? In our highly competitive world market, the branding and marketing is at least as important as the making of a wine… And history, tradition, fashion, snobbery and those clever wine labels have a powerful effect over our perceptions.
I don’t think he was expecting at all to do as well as he did, but I think having done it, it was an educational experience further than he had planned, because instead of just educating the 40 or 50 people in the room, he educated the entire world.
When Eduardo and I first discussed the concept of this blind tasting format, I told him to brace himself for disappointment, especially given the popularity of Bordeaux reds in this part of the world. I was completely wrong in my warning and I am truly surprised by the results…
Until that point only Eduardo knew what he had in his hands. Today the whole world knows… By reaching indisputable recognition in the world wine scene, Eduardo Chadwick’s wines have clearly demonstrated Chile’s tremendous vitivinicultural potential and have helped Chilean wines earn greater space and credibility in the international market.
These tastings definitely have had an impact on how many influential members of the American wine trade view Chile today. So I see them as invaluable to promoting Chile’s well- deserved image as a source for world-class wine that can sit alongside the best that the rest of the world has to offer.
One enterprising Chilean wine producer, Eduardo Chadwick of Viña Errázuriz, has managed to organise a similar evolutionary milestone for the Chilean wine industry—or at least of his own wines… at what will doubtless come to be known in the history of Chilean wine as the “Berlin Tasting”