Viu Manent: Chilean winery brings art to Colchagua valley
The winery today produces various wines in different price realms. I fell in love with their range of a very well-priced Secreto during a picnic with friends in Santiago. These wines were a double secret for me.
First, my chilean friend shared his personal secret with me about this excellent value-for-money treat at a wine shop, where instead of all the pricier Pinots and Sauvignon Blancs of big names, he put in our basket two Secretos. Second mystery is the actual blend in the wines.
The main grape is featured on the label as in the case of the juicy Pinot Noir and aromatic and fresh Sauvignon Blanc we bought. The rest is a well-guarded secret of the winemaker. It is a temptation to guess what might be in it. And, that is what we ended up doing. Relieved though, we concluded: who actually cares? Important is that we all like it a lot!
Art is at the centre of Viu Manent attention. Winemaking is conceived there as one form of art, the one enjoyed by our palate. While the visual art is embodied in the colorful drawings on the labels, yet these are less fancy than the legendary Mouton Rotshield commissions. The labels are fresh, playful and stimulating matching to the effect of the liquid content of all the Secretos.
Once we have visited the winery we were better equipped for the guess-game as we saw the vineyards and grapes planted there. What is more, our journey through the lush green vineyards moved us further into a Viu Manent wonderland, as we were driven in a horse-ridden carriage. Who would expect a romantic touch at a cool, young and modern winery? Besides, we were surprised by the nostalgia of the environment with a historic wine press and other old winery artefacts sprinkled all over the property.
The trip is worth the journey from the capital city Santiago de Chile.