OPINIONS FROM AROUND THE WORLD
If the destruction of the Berlin Wall in 1989 heralded a seismic change in Germany, then the Berlin Tasting of 2004 has had a similarly profound effect on the way the wine world perceived Chile and its wines.
Today, thanks to the historical Berlin Tasting, we are able to face and try unknown wines that we have never tasted before without any bias… I expect Viña Errázuriz to open the way for further developments in the world as a leader and an “Époque Maker” among Chilean wine producers.
Without a doubt these worldwide tastings are proof of the remarkable advances of the Chilean wine viticulture. During the last ten years, the best wines of Chile, in particular those of the Chadwick family, have served as locomotives and most importantly, they have vividly revealed the richness and huge potential of this great wine-making country.
Tastings such as the Berlin Tasting have had a dramatic influence on the perception of Chilean wine on the international world stage. They are innovative and courageous as it is always a risk to put one’s wines in competition with the finest. This is certainly one of the best and most effective ways to compare like with like—Superb!
…What I remember most clearly about the morning is how a disparate group of wine professionals, the people with whom I was tasting, ultimately felt about the Chilean wines… Overall, they liked the Chilean wines best, and a Carmenere (KAI) was the consensus
favourite. Interesting, to say the least.
Opinions
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Steven Spurrier, Consultant Editor to Decanter & Chairman of Decanter World Wine Awards, United Kingdom, October 2013
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.
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Jeannie Cho Lee MW, First Asian Master of Wine, Contributing Editor Decanter Asia, Co-Chair of DAWA, Author, Wine Consultant & Educator, November 2011
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…
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Jorge Lucki, Brazilian Wine Journalist and Columnist for Valor Econômico de Sao Paulo, October 2013
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.
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Josh Raynolds, Wine Critic to Steven Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, USA, December 2013
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.
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Jancis Robinson MW, “Chilean Wine Grows Up” Financial Times UK, ft Weekend Magazine, February 14, 2004
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”
