NEW YORK, Nov. 14, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- A select group of high-ranking members of the New York wine industry gathered yesterday at an educational seminar hosted by Wines of Chile to explore a portfolio of remarkable wines representative of Chile's diverse terroir. The aptly named Vinos de Terroir provided an in-depth perspective of the country's environmental conditions and the impact of the region's unique and complex geographic features on Chile's wine production.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20121114/NY13651-a)
(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20121114/NY13651-b)

The audience, which included press members, buyers and sommeliers, was introduced to the remarkable wines by soil specialist Pedro Parra at the acclaimed Colicchio & Sons restaurant. The terroir expert discussed Chile's geographic components, explaining how morphology, geology, geomorphology and soil composition affect the characteristics of each vine. Chilean-born Parra, who holds a PhD from the prestigious Institut National Agronomique de Paris-Grignon, has conducted more than 20,000 soil-roots observations and intimately knows the terrain of Chile.

Parra was joined by Boston-based Sandy Block, one of the few Americans to hold the distinguished title of Master of Wine. Block led the tasting which featured some of the country's most prestigious offerings, while Parra provided descriptions of the specific terroirs of each wine.

Mark Oldman, wine personality and noted author moderated the event, which was the first time a tasting of this kind has been conducted in the U.S. "The Vinos de Terroir event offers us an opportunity, on an international scale, to highlight the diversity and quality of Chilean wines," says Lori Tieszen, Executive Director of Wines of Chile USA. "Our winemakers have an intimate relationship with each region's idiosyncratic climate and terrain and they were able to demonstrate to our esteemed audience that terroir-driven wines are no longer reserved only for Old-World production."

The wine service was coordinated by Master Sommelier Fred Dexheimer and included: Casa Marin Cipreses Vineyard 2011 Sauvignon Blanc; Santa Rita Casa Real 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon; Concha y Toro Don Melchor 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon; Concha y Toro Carmin de Peumo 2008 Carmenere; Altair 2007; Errazuriz Don Maximiano Founder's Reserve 2007; Sena 2007; Montes Alpha M 2010; Lapostolle Clos Apalta 2009; and Montes Folly 2009 Syrah.

For more information on the event or on Wines of Chile, please visit www.winesofchile.org or the company's Facebook and Twitter pages at http://www.facebook.com/WinesOfChile  and http://twitter.com/DrinkChile.  

About Wines of Chile
Wines of Chile is an organization committed to promoting the quality and image of Chilean wine throughout the world. It has offices in Santiago, London and New York, as well as representatives in Canada, Ireland and Denmark. Wines of Chile also works closely with ProChile to develop and offer promotional and educational programs in Asia, Latin America and Europe. Wines of Chile's 95 member wineries belong to Vinos de Chile and represent 88% of Chile's bottled wine exports.

SOURCE Wines of Chile