South America's WINEMAKERS TAKE FLIGHT

Across the continent, an outdated 'one size fits all' approach to wine has given way to a detailed regional focus, with terroir expression the top priority. These are the worldly winemakers charting South America's new path of self-discovery...

- AMANDA BARNES

Winemakers in South America are embarking on a new era – one of quiet self-confidence and curious self-discovery, bringing forth some of the most exciting and individual wines yet.

Distinctive regional personality is at the core of this new movement and it highlights a strong departure from the varietal- and style-driven wines that dominated the South American wine scene in the early 2000s. As the role and influence of foreign consultants diminishes, there’s a new breed of ‘flying winemakers’ on the ascent – natives who are shaping the wines and industry in South America, and beyond.

EARLY LESSONS LEARNED

South America’s wine industry has been moulded by immigration and intercultural exchange for centuries, but the 1990s and early 2000s witnessed a seismic shift in winemaking technology and viticulture which brought it up to speed with the modernisation happening worldwide. Winemakers, advice, technology and investment poured in from France, Italy, Australia and California, and the wine styles dramatically changed.