Courtesy Montes Wines

From left to right: Pedro Grand, director who contributed his Los Nogales winery; Aurelio Montes, director and winemaker; Douglas Murray, director and responsible for export and domestic sales, and Alfredo Vidaurre, president.

Courtesy Montes Wines

Chilean vineyards use the latest technology from the field to the bottle processes.

Courtesy Montes Wines

Montes premium wines are harvested on a slope to heighten the quality of its grapes.

As every wine glass transports you into a unique experience, so does the story behind each vineyard. Learning about the vineyard’s raison d’etre unleashes an awareness that connects your experience to that of the winemaking process. For instance, the first time I ever heard of Montes Wines was around 1998, when I had a bottle of Montes Alpha with my father. Today, after visiting Chile and speaking with some of the partners of Montes Wines, that experience has an even more profound meaning.

Their story began around 1988 when four partners with years of experience in the art of winemaking and in the wine trade joined together in an effort to produce premium and ultra-premium quality wines in Chile. They began operating as Discover Wines and soon adopted the surname of the enologist and partner Aurelio Montes, who has more than 25 years of experience as the head winemaker of various vineyards in Chile. Together, their vision became the standard of production and export for many wineries, and lead to the international success of their wines such as Montes and Montes Alpha. Today, they have added the ultra-premiums like Montes Alpha "M" (after one of the partners, Douglas Murray) and Montes Folly.

Montes Wines have nearly 1,300 acres of vineyards throughout five estates. Three are located in the Curico Valley and two in the Colchagua Valley –which includes the newest estate known as El Arcangel de Marchigue- an allusion to the angel logo from their wines.

The vineyards include varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Carmenère, Petit Verdot, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. During 1999, Montes Wines incorporated the experimental production of Syrah and Pinot Noir, whose success has given these varieties a fuller scale of production in 2000.

Montes Wines is a medium-sized winery, which exports 95 percent of its total production to over 61 countries on five continents. Their key markets are North America, Europe and Asia. According to Douglas Murray, director of Montes Wines, in 1989 the winery initially exported about 7,000 cases and since then their exports have grown dramatically over the years to 300,000 cases in the year 2000, of which 74,000 went to the United States. Murray adds that, Montes Wines ranked as the 10th Chilean vineyard in terms of US$ FOB value of total exports.

Regarding its plans for the future, the vineyard’s president, Alfredo Vidaurre, explains that their growth will be geared toward quality and not quantity. Vidaurre also mentioned the fact that the company is building a second winery for the Montes Alpha “M” and the Montes Alpha labels. This operation will set up in the heart of the Apalta Valley and will be dedicated exclusively to the production of ultra-premium wines.

The vineyard’s projects a five percent growth per annum in terms of cases and an increased emphasis on the production of exceptional and unique wines like their Late Harvest- winner of the VINEXPO Trophy and the Montes Alpha Syrah 1999, which was ranked in Chile's "Guía del Vino 2001" as the best Syrah in the nation. Other awards won by Montes Wines include a Gold Medal for its Montes Alpha “M” 1997 in the International Wine & Spirits Competition 2000, London; a Gold Medal for its Montes Alpha Cabernet Sauvignon 1997 in the Concours International des Vins, CH 2000, Zürich, Switzerland, and the Gold Medal for its Montes Chardonnay 1999 in the Concours International des Vins, CH 2000, Zürich, Switzerland.