 'Ich bin ein Berliner,' the late President John F Kennedy had said.
Perhaps, the resounding words were repeated by another President in 2004. Eduardo Chadwick, President of the Chilean Viña Errazuriz must have been elated with joy and hummed, 'Ich bin ein Berliner'. Actually, Viñedo Chadwick, Seña 2000 and '01- the top wines from his stable were the real heroes, thanks to the Berlin Tasting.
Eduardo's eyes lit up while reminiscing about the Berlin Tasting 2004 over a glass of Viñedo Chadwick as we chatted and enjoyed the sumptuous Chinese lunch prepared under the expert eyes and nose of Walter Lanfranchi, the new Executive Chef at Shangri-la.
What is Berlin Tasting
'We wanted to showcase to the world that Chile has its own terroir and they should compare our wines with those of Bordeaux and Tuscany. We decided to invite professionals, journalists and critics taste our best against some great wines. We selected sixteen wines - six Chilean, six French and four Italian from the 2000 and 2001 vintages.'
'Steven Spurrier who had conducted the Judgment at Paris 1976 tastings with top Bordeaux and California wines had agreed to conduct the blind tastings. The blind tastings were conducted in Berlin and that's how the event came to be known as Berlin Tasting.'
'I was very thrilled when Seña 2000 was judged at no. 5 position. We did not expect our wines to do so well against the likes of Margaux, Latour, Lafitte and Sassicaia. You can imagine how pleased we were when Seña 2001 was declared no. 2 and the Viñedo Chadwick came out a winner!'
 'Similar results were achieved by our wines in tastings that followed in Brazil, Tokyo, Toronto, which continued to be known as Berlin Tasting due to the unique style of tasting.'
Was the idea a take off on the 1976 Tasting? 'Honestly, I had not even heard of that tasting at the time - it was before my time. I came to know of it only later,' says Eduardo with a laugh.
How about a Berlin Tasting in India
'How about organising one in India?' I ask Eduardo. 'We are getting at least 5 international judges and Robert Joseph who is the chairman of the India Wine Challenge will be here this November. The Ambassador of Chile, H.E. Alfonso Silva had already assured us complete support for the project at the Delhi Wine Club dinner yesterday. What better idea to create awareness in India about the top quality of Chilean wines?' I inform him.
'That sounds like a good idea. We could really work on it,' he says enthusiastically. Showing me a picture of Robert nosing a wine, he tells me,' Robert is a good friend. He conducted a tasting for us in 2003.' Since Steven also comes to India frequently, this could be a workable project, I assure him.
Where do the Chilean wines come from
'Chile used to be a big wine consuming nation in the 1800s. Our per capita had peaked to 90 Liters. But we had started having some problems with alcoholism. In order to control consumption, the government started imposing heavy taxes. In the early 1900s the consumption had started to come down.'
'Then came prohibition of a different kind, in 1930. For the next 30 years there was a ban on planting new vines. There was no technology improvement till the eighties. In the seventies the industry had collapsed. There was more wine than could be consumed. The quality was poor and there was no scope for exports. The military regime was not conducive to wine promotion.'
Spanish Influence on wines
 It is believed that the Spanish conquistadores brought vines with them in the mid sixteenth century and that gave a start to the wine industry? 'I won't say that Spain contributed to the wine development in Chile. They were never keen for the colonies to produce their own wine.'
'The real development started in 1850s when the country became rich because of mining. People started to travel to France. My great-great grandfather Maximiano was also a rich miner who went to Bordeaux and started a winery.'
What about Torres coming to Spain in the seventies with technology and improving the quality, as many believe?
'I won't go that far. He did bring a few things like temperature control in fermentation. But that was not enough to improve the quality to where we are today.'
Robert Mondavi
We were very happy when Bob and Tim decided to join hands with us. Together we explored the right type of soil and climate and decided on the Aconcagua Valley in the North, where Seña was born. This was a partnership to prove to the world that we could produce and compete with the best in the world. It was a 50-50 partnership.
When Mondavi sold off to Constellation we negotiated with him to get complete control of the company. I should say that our partnership with Mondavi has helped us consolidate our prestige as a group.
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