To say Chile has a long history of winemaking would be a huge understatement. As early as 1535, with the arrival of Diego De Almagro, Spanish Conquistadors began their colonization of Chile – bringing with them Vitis Vinifera vines and introducing the already culturally-rich Chileans to the art of winemaking. Three centuries later, the French arrived and left their mark on the Chilean wine culture by introducing Bordeaux varietals such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Carmenère. Today, Chile is the seventh largest wine producer in the world.

Since 1999, small boutique wineries have slowly taken over the wine scene in Chile. Sergio Avendaño is a pioneer in the Requinoa region, located in the province of Cachapoal, owning and making wine at Trabun Wines. Such a fitting name for a winery. After all, ‘Trabun’ means ‘Place of Gathering’ in the native Mapuche language and what better place to “gather” than at Trabun Wines.

After graduating from the Pontificia Universidad Catolica De Chile with a degree in Agronomy and Enology in 2001, Sergio worked as a flying winemaker (consultant to wineries) in the U.S., Chile, South Africa, New Zealand, and France for 3 years. He was willing to do any job in order to learn winemaking techniques. After his stint as a flying winemaker, Sergio jumped into the Chilean wine business, but he quickly grew disappointed after working for big volume wineries.

In 2004, Sergio decided to take matters into his own hands and started his own winery in Requinoa on land that belonged to his family who mostly farmed fruit trees such as apples and almonds. Sergio slowly transformed the land into vineyards: “Growing fruit did not make sense given the soil type in Requinoa.” Sergio ran an extensive soil analysis for two years prior to planting vines: “The varieties chose me. Long autumn months without rain, the alluvial soils allow for the roots to go very deep.” He planted Syrah, Malbec and Sauvignon Blanc. Sergio produced his first Syrah vintage in 2008. After the 2009 Syrah was released, Sergio was very happy with the Rhône style the region was producing: “I made a very powerful Syrah without any oak, which is a technique I learned in France.”

Sergio owns 22 hectares of vineyard at high elevation (1,500-2,000 feet above sea level). Requinoa is very close to the Andes Mountains which has a cooler climate than anywhere else in Cachapoal Valley. The grapes are harvested later than usual, resulting in bright acidity and softer tannins. Sauvignon Blanc is harvested the first week of March; Malbec, the first week of April and Syrah, the first week of May: “I make the wines I like and hopefully people will like them. In my wines, I have something from every winemaker I’ve worked with.”

Inspired by the small boutique winery movement, Sergio was one of the original founders of MOVI (Moviemiento de Viñateros Independientes), the Movement of Independent Vintners founded in 2009. Today, there are over 35 small wine-producer members who joined the movement to create stronger brands and marketing opportunities for wineries who otherwise could not sustain the cost independently: “I am very proud of this project and being part of Movi. It opens doors to other small producers that otherwise would not stand a chance in this market.”

How to become a MOVI member? You need to be a small winery and produce quality wines that reflect a specific terroir, and not a Forbes Top 500 Company.

I attest to the quality of Sergio’s wines. I was truly blown away by the wines we tasted together:

Trabun 2018 Sauvignon Blanc Requinoa Valley: Notes of cucumber, apples, hints of herbal freshness and a beautiful crisp acidity with a pleasant mouth feel. It tastes like an old-world Sauvignon Blanc.

Trabun Malbec 2017 Requinoa Valley: The true expression of Requinoa’s terroir! Notes of cranberry and red fruit with lively acidity and so much freshness on the nose. This is Sergio’s third vintage of Malbec. Barrel-aged only for 6 months so as not to overpower the fruit.

Trabun 2013 Syrah Requinoa Valley: The fifth vintage of Syrah. If I were to blind taste this wine, I would probably say it is a St-Joseph from Rhône Valley. Gorgeous notes of olives and blackberry, such purity on the nose and palate. Round and chewy tannins with a soft structure.

Chile keeps delivering value at every level, to which Sergio agrees: “We need to focus on variety and terroir in Chile, in order to deliver the best wine. That is what I do in Requinoa.”

Trabun Wines can be found at Masa NYC and its sister restaurants and at the fine retailer, Grape Collective. For additional information, contact Regal Wine Imports.

Next time you go shopping for wine, give a small producer a chance, you might be pleasantly surprised.

Salud!

Anna

Sergio Avendaño of Trabun Wines: A Chilean Wine Pioneer