I really enjoyed our trip to the Bodegas RE winery! Though since the second grade I have drank wine (at church^), I never was aware of the process of making wine, specifically how much variation can exist within the process. The nation of Chile is known for their distinctive wines, and is often respected as a producer of high quality wine. However to fully appreciate the process, a tour of one of the nation’s most prolific wineries was necessary.
Bodegas RE was initially founded by a family from southern Chile. This family was credited with bringing white wine to Chile from Europe. From the beginning of the tour, the primary focus of Bodegas RE was clear: quality small batch wine, crafted to be savored, rather than simply consumed. The MO was unique: complex, sophisticated flavors. Simply drinking this wine would be doing a disservice given the detail put into its production. Each bottle is intended to be enjoyed.
The process of crafting an enjoyable wine is far from linear. It starts with grapes, fermented in barrels, crafted from a wide range of woods. The wood provides unique flavors, based on its region of origin. As the grapes age, they develop the properties needed to produce wine. Then the wine is moved to claypots, where the wine slowly oxidizes, and develops a unique flavor that makes Chilean wine special.
Bodegas RE has a global touch. Around 3,000 bottles are exported out to Brazil annually. However, they consider themselves to be a small exporter. This is likely because they value being a small-batch, quality wine production company. Larger export expectations would likely require a quicker process, in which quality may be lost. This also means that the bottle I brought home is a rare one found in the United States, so I plan to cherish the bottle before sharing it with some family members at an event this fall. It brings me great joy to be in possession of something so unique.
Spending the day at Bodegas RE with my peers on the trip was extremely exciting and I enjoyed tasting the different wines they had to offer. I also enjoyed the bread pairings and heard that the cheese pairings were quite good from some peers. I also really enjoyed the cuchufli that Jen’s friend gave her. The chocolate covered wafers with manjar in the middle made for the perfect light sweet treat. It was quite the pairing for some of the red wines.
Ultimately, I had a great time at Bodegas RE winery and enjoyed learning about the Chilean wine making process.
by Nicholas Torres