We only include exceptional wines in our catalog; we tasted them and have a
first hand knowledge of the producer and its process.
We took our selection based on our personal opinion and first-palate
tasting. We took in consideration the awards, honors,
and medals won in the country of production. We completely ignore
the numerical scores of wines and favorable articles published outside the
country of production, since they only consider some of the wines that are
actually imported to the specific country.
( Sólo incluimos en nuestro catalogo vinos excepcionales,
los catamos y conocemos personalmente al productor y el proceso de producción.
Basamos nuestra selección en nuestra opinión personal y degustación. Tomamos
en consideración los premios medallas y reconocimientos obtenidos por el vino
en el país de su producción. Ignoramos completamente las puntuaciones y artículos favorables que publican fuera
del país de producción, dado que consideran algunos de los vinos que
actualmente se importan a un país especifico.)
Chile was virtually the only wine
producer in the world never to have been invaded by phylloxera. The worldwide
epidemic of phylloxera, was carried to Europe on cuttings of North American
vines. Within a very few years
(1860 to 1890), it had swamped the continent, devastating vineyards.
The antidote was eventually found in grafting new plantings of European
varieties on to roots from American vine species, which had become immune to the
louse. What was also observed,
however, was the one type of soil where it doesn’t survive is sand.
Those vineyards planted in costal areas, where sandy soils predominate,
tended to find the attack passed them by.
Chile’s main protection lay in circumstances of its geography.
Since the country is, in essence, one long, narrow strip of Pacific
coast, nearly all of its soil is sand-based.
Furthermore, the natural bulwark of its border with Argentina, the Andes
Mountains, prevented what limited outbreaks of phylloxera arose in Argentina
from spreading westwards.
The main regions in Chile are
Aconcagua, Valle Central (Central Valley) y Sur (South).
Description of Viña Nido de Águila winery
Situated in the
mountains overlooking the Maipo Valley, Viña Niido de Águila
produces approximately 8,000 cases of Cabernet, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Syrah,
Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and blends of these wines.
Viña Niido
de Águila, surrounded by dense native
forest only 25 miles from the coast, enjoys a perfect wine-producing climate
with morning fog, warm days, and cool nights. Soils are coarse to rocky, similar
to conditions in the Stag’s Leap area of the Napa Valley.
This ideal vineyard
location, combined with our experience and talent in grape production and
winemaking, enables Nido de Aguila to produce the highest quality wines Chile
has to offer. Nido de Aguila is translated from the indigenous name for the
area, "Chinigue" which means "Place of the Eagles". Several
Eagles reside in the area, adding to the beauty of the place and helping to
control the rabbits who also enjoy our vines.
Margarita Luchsinger
runs the business from office to vineyard to winery. As the Chilean partner, and
full time resident of Chile, she is the person most responsible for the smooth
operation of the winery and the exceptional quality of our wines. She is also a
fine painter, and her painting of the farm graces the Nido de Águila
labels.
The Grower:
Reid Dorn is a fifth generation California farmer from Lake County, a small
premium winegrowing region Just north of the Napa Valley. He has produced grapes
for wineries such as Robert Mondavi, Kendall Jackson, Jed Steele and Beringer
since 1968. He began to work in the Chilean fresh fruit market in 1974 and fell
in
love
with the country. In his travels around Chile he found the perfect spot for
producing outstanding wine grapes. He imported and planted varietals from
France, and currently produces Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc,
Syrah, Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay. Reid travels often between
California and Chile, overseeing harvests in both locations.
The Winemaker:
Kathy McGrath is a native of South Africa. She traveled to California 16 years
ago and learned her trade from Jed Steele of Steele Wines in Lake County. There
she met the Dorns, who grow grapes for Steele. She Worked for Wildhurst, another
local winery, for six years and made many award winning wines. When the idea for
starting the winery in Chile was hatched, she enthusiastically agreed to travel
to Chile several times a year. When she’s not making wine in Chile, She works
for Robert Mondavi in the Napa Valley. She Lives in Napa, with her daughter
Molly and husband Mike, another Napa Valley winemaker.
Specifiaction sheets: 2002 Armonia 2002 Merlot Cab.Sauv. 2002 Merlot 2002 Cab. Sauv.
Nido de Águila won a silver for the
Armonia and Bronzes for the Merlot and Merlot/Cab at
the 2004 SanFrancisco International Wine Competition
http://www.sfwinecomp.com/
Nido de Águila won a silver for the Armonia and Bronzes for the Merlot and
Merlot/Cab at
the Indiana International Wine Competition:
http://www.indianawines.org/awards/
Nido de Águila won a Gold for the Merlot and a Silver for the Merlot/Cab at
the 2004
American Wine Society Competition:
http://www.americanwinesociety.com/web/index.htm
Nido de Águila won a Gold for the Merlot at the 2005 South Texas Wine Classic Competition
(Armonia & Merlot/Cab didn’t participate in the competition):
The
Festival website isn’t updated yet ( http://www.sotxwineclassic.com
) But you may see some festival’s photos at: http://www.exceptionalwines.net/STexasWiCla.jpg
San
Antonio Fine Wine and Cuisine Tasting
Product Catalog & List Price
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