Distribution company in UK
Our first exports were to UK-our biggest market. In 1994 we formed a joint venture company with Louis Jadot of Burgundy to market our wines along with other wines. We were the first Chilean company to have our own distribution in UK. This JV, Hatch Mansfield Agencies is doing extremely well. 70% of our exports take place in that country, thanks to the JV.
Carmenere - King of Chilean Vines?
'Just like Malbec is a signature grape of Argentina, despite it being originally a Bordeaux varietal. Shiraz is a grape of Australia, Pinotage is from South Africa, why don't the producers come together and define Carmenere as the signature grape, I ask?
Carmenere is not an easy grape to grow, when the climate is not warm. The French discarded it after Phylloxera killed it. We continued growing it thinking it was Merlot, till we got some specialists from Bordeaux, who helped us identify it.
Earlier it used to be green and leafy. One needed to plant it in the sunny area. It was not feasible to get an early ripening. But in a proper environment we can get good wine from this grape now.
We, at Errazuriz have developed KAI- a premium wine from Carmenere, which is doing very well in the US.'
Caps or corks?
'All our white wines and Pinot Noirs use screwcaps. We are very confident they are the best for all but long-aging wines where they have not been tested fully. But we were tired with the problem of corks. 80% of wines imported in the UK are now with screwcaps. But we do not plan changing the closures on our iconic wines.'
Chadwick- the wine master
 Eduardo believes in the continuous process in wine education. He is constantly engaging himself in various wine seminars throughout the world. In fact, the Berlin Wine Tasting was preceded by a seminar he conducted. The UK joint venture employs 3 Masters of Wine. 'We must have the best in terms of wine knowledge in our team,' he believes.
He may be a wine master but has not become the Master of Wine-not yet. 'I don't get time to finish my thesis,' he says. But he supports the Master of Wine programme in Chile and hopes to be one himself-eventually.
Promoter of Chilean Wines
Eduardo Chadwick not only promotes his wines, he believes there is need to promote Chilean wines- not only as value-for-money wines but high quality wines. 'We also need to tell the sophisticated consumers about the different terroirs in Chile and how we make unique wines.'
Not surprising, this Chilean Wine Ambassador and producer extraordinaire with impeccable British mannerisms was honoured by Decanter as one of the world's top 50 most influential wine persons in the world in 2005.
The Ambassador of Chile, H.E. Mr. Alfonso Silva had told me recently that his country is now producing a few top quality wines selling for more than $100 but they competed with and gave value to wines costing over $300 in the west did. He perhaps was referring to Viñedo Chadwick from Eduardo Chadwick, which retails for over $140 in the USA.
Subhash Arora
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