Kingston Vineyard

From the moment the group laid eyes on the stunning landscape of the Kingston vineyard we were all intrigued to know more about their business. As Steve Hannigan said, the views were spectacular and learning how they produced the wine was very fascinating.

Guy, Courtney, Judith, and everyone else who shard their knowledge with us exceeded our expectations. The most fascinating part in my opinion is the land has been passed down five generations. Courtney's ancestors sought the land to mine for gold in the mid 1900's, but that was short lived. They were then left with a vast amount of land and Courtney used her business plan from Princeton University with a few tweaks as a guide for what is known as the Kingston Family Vineyard. They rely heavily on grapes for profit, using just 10% of their facilities for wine production. In 2014 the vineyard produced 3000 cases of wine containing 12 bottles each. Which is a tiny number compared to the whopping 5 million bottles that Chile exported this past year. Interestingly 75% of Kingston's exports were to the United states, but they also export to countries such as Brazil, Canada, Sweden, and more.  However they plan to expand this year to 6,000 cases and they wish to convert to organic production. 

Our guides answered all of our questions whether it be the difference in corks and screw caps, or filling us in on the most difficult task for them, labeling and packaging. The intricate design on the bottles make it more appealing to the ultimate consumers. I believe we can all agree with Rudy when he said he was impressed with our guides ability to speak English. It would be very difficult for us to try and give such a good presentation in Spanish, that's for sure. 

Today our group had the privilege to see how Kingston produces a few of their high quality wines. In short, they pick the grapes, put them in containers to ferment, then store them in oak barrels if they are red, and metal if they are white. I spoke with Griffin, a friend of mine and we both found it very interesting how long the wine stayed in the barrel's and how the oak added flavor to the wine over time. 

After learning about the production process, our group was able to taste some wine such as; Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, and Syrah. We also got to eat a variety of cocktail appetizers. Everything was very delicious.

Overall the class not only learned a lot about the wine industry in Chile but we also got to have a taste of it. 

There were smiles all around on this wonderful evening in paradise. 

¡SALUD!