Interviews
Interviews
Interviews
José Ignacio Inostroza Cortés
Export Manager, South East Asia & India, VSPT Wine Group.
Each bottle of 1865 captures over 150 years of winemaking experience, demonstrating the evolution and potential of Chilean viticulture. In the year 1997, 1865 became the second addition to San Pedro’s premium line, its name honoring the year the winery was founded. 1865 is a profound declaration of elegance and style, that defends its qualities at the same time as it expresses the best of its roots. Each wine is specially elaborated with its own unique character, driven by our exploration of new valleys and terroirs.
We met up with José in Saigon, over at the Refinery, and fielded several queries to stem our curiosity on their brand, over a great bottle of their Cabernet Savignon.
What’s the inspiration behind your name and the vines that go with it?
1865 is the year in which Viña San Pedro was founded. In honour to our history, tradition and winemaking evolution is that this brand was launched, seeking to provide the consumer with a variety of premium wines that best represent Chile's history and terroir. Within the 1865 range, you can find the best varieties from the most emblematic valleys of our country.
1865 stands out for having valleys from the north of the country, such as the Elqui Valley, which is close to the Atacama Desert, one of the most arid areas for wine production in Chile, to also fields in the extreme south of Chile, areas with a high percentage of rainfall, variety in soils and with a different climatic profile, an example of which is the Malleco Valley.
How do you maintain the quality and finesse that goes with each vintage?
Quality is based on Viña San Pedro's years of experience, where we have learned year after year to improve in obtaining the best of the different types of soils found in our country and reflecting it in our wines. On the other hand, we have an important investment plan for our cellars and infrastructure, which allows us to have the latest technology machinery as well as a better analysis of our wines, soil types, among other things.
In addition to the above and focused on our winemaking team, they are constantly trained in order to acquire more knowledge and over the years to be able to reflect it in our wines. An example is that some of them have been sent to the oldest and most famous Chateaus to acquire knowledge. Lastly, the improvement of our vineyards, where we have been able to improve the efficiency of water consumption, an issue that alarms all wine producers worldwide due to climate change.
As VSPT and part of our essence is to constantly improve our winemaking consistency. Today it is a highlight in our vineyard and as such, year after year we are able to find wines with better characteristics, better profiles in each of our varieties.
Which are your best vintages and why?
The 2018 harvest was a tremendous year for the industry in general. A very rainy winter, which generated a good accumulation of water, and on the other hand a very sunny and hot summer, which generated from the beginning a good budding and ripening of the grapes. This also resulted in important international awards, achieving up to 96 points for certain wines within the brand.
Notwithstanding the best vintage years, the work done by the winemaking team and the entire back office team at VSPT, is a job that involves great responsibility, commitment and dedication, which I would dare to say that the team fulfils to the fullest and as such, is one of the many factors of the growth that the brand is having worldwide.
Does 1865 employ any special vinification techniques or harvesting methodologies that distinguish it from the competition?
Yes, this is where the winemaker generates an add-value compared to the competition and also with the experience acquired year after year and after the training mentioned above. Among the highlights or distinctive points, for certain types of wines, the team performs a longer cold fermentation than normal and for example in the case of whites, we perform a fermentation at a lower temperature, this makes the fermentation slower but also preserves more aromas in the wine.
On the other hand, an important percentage of our wines are fermented in cement eggs, generating a more natural movement of the wine and as a consquence having a more uniform fermentation.
Which countries in Asia have embraced your brand and why?
We have several markets in Asia where the brand is already recognized and highly valued by the consumer. A great example of this is the case of South Korea, where with 1865 we lead the price segment since 2011 until today and where the brand is practically distributed everywhere. The great success factor of this, I would dare to say, is thanks to three variables. The first one, having the right partner. The second one, a clear and precise strategy, with specific objectives in the short, medium and long term and finally a transparent and fluid communication between both parties.
As VSPT we are known for having very close relationships with all of our clients and this is one of the added values of our company. In addition to Korea, we also have other markets where the brand is very well positioned, such as China, Taiwan, Japan, Vietnam and others. Outside Asia, 1865 also stands out, markets such as England, the United States, among others, are increasingly generating a greater impact within the local industry and will surely continue to do so in the coming years.
1865 is exclusively distributed by VIVA House Of Wine.
You can procure the 1865 wines from Viva Wines at their website
https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=viva%20house%20of%20wine
You can also visit their showroom and pick up some lovely wines.
VIVA House of Wine
Address : 41 Mạc Thị Bưởi, Bến Nghé, Quận 1, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh 700000
Phone : 1800 6191
