Funckenhausen Vineyards team

Get to Know San Rafael: Mendoza, Argentina’s Cooler Side

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Mendoza wines have been captivating the world for decades, with Malbec leading the way.

It’s easy to forget that Mendoza is a vast wine region, with more than 7 times as many acres planted to grapes as California’s Napa Valley wine region. This means that a Malbec from Mendoza’s northern reaches will likely have a different character than a Malbec from the south. Click here for a detailed Mendoza wine map.

Funckenhausen Vineyards, which GVI Wines is proud to represent, is one of south Mendoza’s most prominent producers. Their vineyards are situated in the San Rafael sub-region of Mendoza, an area which is making some of Argentina’s most elegant wines.

What do we mean by “elegant”? Generally, we’re talking about wines that have freshness and acidity as well as depth of flavor. These are wines that can be rich without being heavy and syrupy, wines that make your mouth water more than dry it out.

What, then, is San Rafael’s secret? For one thing, it occupies a cooler part of Mendoza, which gives the grapes more hangtime. This promotes flavor development.

Funckenhausen Vineyards’s surroundings are especially chilly because they not only occupy one of the highest points in San Rafael, they’re also situated near the region’s Diamante River.

The Diamante River flows down from the Andes Mountains, and over the centuries its runoff has created variable soil profiles in San Rafael with the presence of boulders close to the surface.

These boulders absorb the heat of day and provide a warming presence for the grapes, guaranteeing that they will ripen fully. Such rocky soils do not retain much water either, which forces the wine to dig its roots deeper to find what it needs.

Funckenhausen’s general manager Alejandro Heinlein has also noticed that his vineyards possess a greater concentration of sandy loam soils on the surface, which he associates with enhanced aromas and softer tannins.

San Rafael’s windy conditions also make it much easier to farm organically. While not as strong as Patagonia’s winds, the breezes that blow down from the Andes keep the grapes and leaves dry, which prevents mildew and other annoyances from damaging the vine. In grape-growing areas without such breezy conditions, the need to spray the vines is often much greater.

The bottom line is that San Rafael possesses the best of all possible grape-growing worlds. It has allowed Funckenhausen to grow Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon and even Chardonnay at the highest possible levels. Mendoz’s cooler side has never tasted so good.

Chilean Coastline

3 Reasons Why Drinking Chilean Wine Is a No-Brainer

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We get it. Buying wine can be overwhelming. With so many countries making wine, so many hard-to-pronounce grapes on the labels, and so many shiny labels that scream, “Buy Me Now!”, it’s not a surprise that many consumers reach instead for that six-pack.

We can’t demystify the world of wine in a single blog post, but we can at least try to demystify one slice of it: Chile.

There’s a reason GVI sources most of its wines from Chile. It nails the three things we look for in wines we want to drink: perfect geography, value and an indulgence quotient that’s off the charts. Why do we think these three things matter? Keep reading.

I. Geography

Great wine is not just made; it is grown. Careful farming is critical, but the soil and climate have to be considered first.

The soils can’t be too fertile, because then the vine will go nuts and much more work will have to be done to contain yields. (Containing yields has an impact on flavor concentration.) The best soils will be rocky, austere, and the vines will have to work to find what they need to survive.

It can’t be too hot or too cold. If it’s too hot, the vines will require larger amounts of water to complete their task of ripening the fruit. There’s also a risk of the grapes turning into raisins. If it’s too cold, the grapes won’t get ripe at all. The best wines are most often made in areas with dry, warm days and cool nights.

Chile checks all these boxes. Its climate is warm Mediterranean, and it is so narrow that nearly every part of it benefits from the cooling influence of the Pacific. This is especially true of the Casablanca Valley, a chilly, coastal region where we source a fresh, springy Sauvignon Blanc from Albamar.

Even warmer areas like the Maule Valley, where Gillmore makes world-class, old-vine Carignan, benefit from cooler nights courtesy of the Pacific.

And the soils? Mostly rocky, sandy and volcanic. Perfect.

The bottom line is that Chilean wines brim with character because their growing conditions are so optimal. This is why a $15 Chilean wine is almost always a better buy than a $15 wine from elsewhere.

II. Value

Not to put too fine a point on it, but Chilean wines are renowned for their value. The best Chilean reds can easily stand up to their counterparts to the north, including Napa Valley. Their ratings equal and often exceed those of the established wine glitterati at prices that are jaw-droppingly lower. How is Chile able to rise to such levels of quality so economically?

At the risk of oversimplifying, it comes down to labor and market conditions. Vineyard labor is cheaper in Chile compared to more highly regulated regions such as California. This impacts the bottle’s price tag.

Second, Chile makes vastly more wine than it can possibly consume within its own borders. It has to export. Period. (California does not.) Part of its strategy was to enter foreign markets at the lower end of the price spectrum in an attempt to make their products more desirable. This worked to an extent, but it’s made it more difficult for higher-priced Chilean wines to compete. In addition, most, but certainly not all, exported Chilean wines are made by a handful of companies, which have benefited from economies of scale.

The good news for us is that for now we get to sit back and sip 97-point 2016 Domus Aurea Cabernet Sauvignon for $69.95/bottle. However, as Chilean producers continue to push for higher quality, higher scores will certainly follow, which, over time, will lead to higher prices. The time to drink Chilean wines is yesterday.

III. Indulgence

What’s the real reason we drink wine? Because it’s delicious and helps distract us from the frustrations of life. As far as we’re concerned, Chile has taken a good chunk of the stress out of deciding which wine will do the distracting.

Chileans love life and celebrate it mightily, and wine is usually in the mix. The red wines have to be rich to stand up to the grilled red meats that accompany the asado. The whites and rosé wines have to be brisk and fresh because with a coastline stretching 4,000 miles from north to south, there needs to be plenty of refreshment for those long days on the beach.

There is also a marvelous diversity to Chilean wines which means that you can find a wine for any occasion, at prices that shouldn’t deter you from trying something new.

Geography. Value. Indulgence. That’s why GVI Wines exists.

Domus Aurea bottles

Domus Aurea and the Making of an Iconic Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon

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When sommeliers and other wine professionals try to narrow down the list of truly great Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon producers, Casa Lapostolle, Errázuriz, and Domus Aurea will be among the first wine estates mentioned.

Many of Chile’s 1970s-era Maipo Valley winemakers scratched their heads when Domus Aurea founders Isabelle and Ricardo Peña did something that few had even considered: They planted Cabernet Sauvignon vines on 45 acres of difficult-to-farm, lower-yielding hillside sites.

Despite the increased effort required to farm the new vineyard, the vines benefitted from the cool breezes blowing down from the Andes, and the lower yields resulted in grapes with incredibly intense flavor. As the years passed, the Peñas (and their peers) realized that planting such an unconventional site was in fact a stroke of genius.

Jean Pascal Lacaze was hired in 2002 to make the wine, and the 90+ scores began to roll in, culminating in a 97-point score from Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate for the 2016 vintage of Domus Aurea.

Lacaze’s winemaking is nothing short of painstaking. He harvests not by block or row but vine by vine. He also believes in personalized oak aging cycles, selecting lots with the most character to be the first wines into French barrels.

The finished wine is classy and refined, bursting with red fruit and menthol aromas, without oak flavors that seem heavy-handed. Even more remarkable is its price. At just under $70/bottle, Domus Aurea is wildly more affordable than the average 97-point Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, for example.

Lacaze has famously said, “Never a day goes by that I do not feel fortunate to work with these vines.”

Not a day goes by that we do not feel fortunate to be able to drink these iconic Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon wines.

Get to Know Jimena Lopez, the Trailblazing Female Winemaker at Funckenhausen Vineyards

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Funckenhausen Vineyards has emerged as one of the top producers in Argentina’s San Rafael region, located in south Mendoza. From Chardonnay to Malbec, 750ml to 1L bottles, Funckenhausen is fiercely committed to charting its own course. That independence results in great Argentine wine.

Great wine obviously starts in the vineyard, but it takes an extremely careful, observant winemaker to bring the best out of what nature has given. At Funckenhausen, that responsibility belongs to winemaker Jimena Lopez, who also happens to be one of a small but growing number of female winemakers in Mendoza.

Lopez found her passion for wine early in life. She began taking viticulture and winemaking courses in high school and completed her studies with a 6-month work-study program at a winery. It was there, in the midst of her first harvest, that she found her life’s passion. 

She then went on to study enology and viticulture in Mendoza. Before graduating, she developed a global winemaking sensibility, having worked in Argentina, Chile, Mexico, California, Germany, France and Australia. Since graduating, Jimena has gained invaluable experience working with wineries in California, Australia, and of course her homeland of Mendoza, Argentina. She has worked at Funckenhausen for five years.

In 2002 Lopez won her first gold medal at a wine competition, and has since gone on to win many more. Through it all, this mother of two has kept her endearing spirit of grace and humility, never losing her love for life’s simple pleasures. 

Jimena’s winemaking principles reflect her personality. “In my eyes,” she says, “good winemaking is simple winemaking. It needs to start in the vineyard. The quality and purity of the grape is essential. We can have the best technology in the winery, but what you don’t have in the vineyards you can’t have in the cellar. I believe there are three things that make the difference to great winemaking: know how, obsession for details, and above all passion.”

One sip of Funckenhausen wine is all it takes to understand how these three things play out.

Vermut Flores Founders

Anatomy of the Perfect Apéritif: The Vermouths of Vermut Flores

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The Marichal family is internationally known for crafting some of Uruguay’s finest Tannat wines. Juan Andrés Marichal, a member of the family’s fourth generation, isn’t stopping there.

Juan Andrés and business partners Alvaro and Salvador also run Basta Spirit, the company behind one of Uruguay’s elite vermouth brands, Vermut Flores, which GVI Wines is proud to make available to U.S. consumers.

The trio brings a diversity of experience to the project. Juan Andrés is an experienced winemaker. Alvaro worked several years bartending in Europe, Central and South America for award-winning establishments. Salvador is a radio and television host as well as a published tech and philosophy writer. Their collective specialty, though, is creating products with a mesmerizing deliciousness.

Vermut Flores takes its name from the four key flowers involved in the botanicals recipe: rose, chamomile, hop and elderflower. Unlike French and Italian vermouth styles, which generally start with a blend of neutral white wines enriched with alcohol, Vermut Flores starts with fortified red and rosé Tannat wines from one of Uruguay’s best vineyards.

This unique and modern twist in the classic vermouth recipe was also the inspiration for Vermut Flores’s label design, a marriage of the old tradition of vermouth labeling with a fresh and sexy spirit.

The world is taking notice. Both vermouths were recently awarded gold and silver medals at the International Wine Challenge in London.

The full-bodied, sweet red and dry, crisp rosé are best enjoyed over ice with olives, a slice of lemon or orange, and a splash of tonic water.

Asado Summer Grilling

A South American Twist for Your Summer BBQs

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Most Americans are blissfully unaware that Chile, Argentina, Uruguay and many other South American nations have one of the greatest BBQ traditions on the planet: Asado.

Asados can be family or community affairs. Depending on the size of the occasion, a single “asador” is appointed to grill a variety of meats over an open flame, served with salads and copious amounts of wine. The expectation is that you plan your entire day around the experience. (Let’s face it. The asado is your day.)

With summer breaking out around the United States, it goes without saying that a BBQ is one of the best ways to pass a muggy, lazy Saturday. An authentic asado might be out of the question, but there are plenty of Chilean, Argentine and Uruguayan wines available that will help you channel that South American celebratory spirit.

Whether you plan to grill veggies or a battery of meats, here’s our picks for South America’s top BBQ wines to have on hand while you indulge.

You: I want to grill asparagus, artichokes and other veggies. Us: Try the 2019 Ricardo Santos Dry Semillon.

Vegetables take on new worlds of flavor when flame is applied. That gorgeous slightly charred character opens up a variety of wine-pairing possibilities. Red wines can still be somewhat difficult, as they can either overwhelm the delicate flavor of the veggies or take on an odd metallic flavor. Fresh, springy, high acid whites will typically be your best bet. A big glass of the citrusy, herbal 2019 Ricardo Santos Dry Semillon from Argentina is akin to squeezing an alcohol-fueled lemon over your steaming veggies. Trust us, you’ll want to eat asparagus every day after enjoying it with this wine.

You: I want to grill lots of meat, but I prefer spicier BBQ sauces. Us: Try a lighter, fruitier red, like the 2016 Aniello Trousseau.

Meat, whether your choice is pork, beef or chicken, generally calls for something red. And let’s face it, you wouldn’t be cooking with spicy, peppery BBQ sauce if you didn’t want heat to be the lead character. So why ruin it?

You want your wine to have high-octane fruit without rugged tannins, but you also don’t want the wine to be so powerful that it drowns out the sauce-driven flavors that you crave. Thank the universe for the 2016 Aniello Trousseau, a light, spicy Argentine red that sings of fruit without a heavily tannic underbelly. The wine will take the edge off the heat without ruining its core. As BBQ wines go, this one’s a keeper.

You: I want to grill lots of meat, but I prefer sweeter BBQ sauces. Us: A gutsier but lightly tannic red will work, like the 2018 Marichal Premium Varietal Tannat.

Again, meat is in the picture, so a red wine is in order. You don’t want to drink a sugary-sweet red wine with this type of BBQ because it will hollow out the other flavors in the sauce and not stand up to the meat itself. The solution? A richer, fruiter, dry red with modest tannins, and that can only mean a Uruguayan Tannat. The Marichal family has perfected Tannat in their vineyards outside the capital of Montevideo. Their Tannat’s opulent blueberry and blackberry-tinged notes are the perfect complement to your North Carolina-styled ribs.

You: Portobello mushrooms are my meat. Us: Try the gorgeously earthy 2017 Gillmore Vigno Carignan.

Even the most hard-core carnivores will lose their minds when they feast on a perfectly grilled Portobello mushroom marinated in olive oil, garlic, balsamic vinegar, soy sauce and rosemary. A densely fruited Pinot Noir would work, but let’s go full-on Chilean with Gillmore’s Carignan. The wine is a bit weightier than Pinot, and boasts a bay leaf and minty character alongside its bright red fruit. Sure, Carignan grows in France and (barely) in California, but it doesn’t reach the heights of what Gillmore has achieved. Your mushrooms will thank you.

You: I love to grill salmon and swordfish. Us: That’s easy. The 2016 Maquis Lien should be on the table.

Salmon and swordfish are “meaty,” but you can’t quite lump them into the pork-chicken-beef category when it comes to wine. They can certainly stand up to stronger reds, but the reds have to be more nuanced. The Maquis family, based in Chile’s Colchagua Valley, has the answer. Their Lien label blends Cabernet Franc, Syrah, Carménère and Petit Verdot into a spicy, herbal, red-fruited whole. Like the veggies mentioned above, the grill adds a layer of flavor to the fish that these wines crave. You’ll crave them too.

William Cole Winery Chile

“Albamar refers to the synergy between sun and sea”: Catching up with Nelly Gutierrez, Albamar Export Manager

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Chile’s cool Casablanca Valley has seen dramatic investment since its first vineyards were planted in the 1980s. The Valley’s proximity to the Pacific has made it one of the most exciting regions for Chilean wine.

One of those investors was an American, William Cole, who founded his eponymous winery at which the Albamar label was later created. Albamar is now synonymous with some of the best Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in the Casablanca Valley, if not all of Chile.

Given William Cole and Albamar’s history in the region, it seemed fitting to catch up with Nelly Gutierrez, Albamar’s Export Manager, and get her take on how the brand has developed and what the future holds.

GVI: What inspired your label design?

NG: “Albamar” refers to the synergy between sun and sea. “Alba” is the first rays of morning sun, and “mar” refers to Chile’s long coastline. We are located very near the ocean, and this coastal influence touches all of our vineyards. The intensely cold waters of the Pacific Ocean create cool nights and foggy mornings. Clear, cloudless days are typical during the growing season, and afternoon breezes reliably bring dry, clean air into our vineyards which helps keep them free of damaging spores.

GVI: What inspired the architectural design of your wineries/cellars?

NG: Our winery, built in 1999, is architecturally reminiscent of old Chilean missions of the southwest American Indian pueblo, pleasingly blended into an attractive but functional structure.

GVI: Is there anything unique you do in the vineyard or cellar that might not be considered mainstream? How does this technique influence the style of your wines?

NG: We are well known for microvinification, a technique which keeps our winemaker very happy. This state-of-the-art technology consists of maintaining temperature-controlled tanks ranging from 1,000 to 30,000 liters in size. These tanks allow us to ferment vineyard parcels separately.

Just like our own children, we want to see our grapes reach their greatest potential. With microvinification, we can literally taste our different vineyard terroirs.

GVI: With so many wines to choose from in the American marketplace, why should American wine drinkers be excited about Chilean wine?

NG: American wine drinkers should choose Chilean wine because we have exceptional climate for great red and white wines, and the Quality-Price Ratio is wonderful. Casablanca is not only Chile’s quintessential cool-climate wine region, it’s also one of the 10 Great Wine Capitals of the World.

GVI: What does your winemaker, Rodrigo Sala, enjoy doing when he’s not in the cellar?

NG: Winemaking keeps Rodrigo very busy, but in his free time, he likes to play tennis, garden and work on his house.

Apaltagua Winery in Chile

Does Environmental Sustainability Matter in Wine? Just Ask Viña Apaltagua

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The answer is a resounding yes.

It goes without saying that better, healthier grapes make better wine. Grapes are at their best when the environment that sustains them — that would be the vineyard — gives them everything they need to thrive and holds back anything that might hurt them. This is why farming sustainably is so critically important.

Chile’s Viña Apaltagua knows this better than most. Of course all premium wineries take the health of their vineyards very seriously, but Apaltagua has taken this conviction a step further.

Apaltagua has created a Strategic Sustainability Plan that outlines how its practices both in the vineyard and in the winery ensure that it will continue to make world-class wines for generations to come with minimal impact on the environment. Here are some of their commitments:

  • Use compost in place of artificial fertilizers.
  • Collect valuable rainwater, and deploy special pumps to ensure that water is not wasted.
  • Manage vineyard pests without the use of chemical agents.
  • Weed the vineyard mechanically, without chemical agents.
  • Use lighter ECO bottles for its Varietal and Reserva wines. These bottles use between 20-30% less glass, meaning a reduced energy use in their production and lower CO2 emissions on the part of the manufacturer.
  • Use cardboard packaging made of 75% recycled materials.

Farming sustainably doesn’t mean farming organically or biodynamically, although it can include many of those practices. Rather, sustainability is a way of doing business, one that goes out of its way to keep its employees and vineyards as healthy and productive as possible.

Does it all work? The proof is in the bottle.

Funckenhausen Winery Chile

Get to Know Alejandro Leirado Heinlein, General Manager of Argentina’s Funckenhausen Vineyards

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Many people outside Argentina don’t realize that the country is home to a substantial population of German immigrants whose culture is woven into many elements of Argentine life, including wine.

Alejandro Leirado Heinlein is the grandson of Kurt Heinlein, a German-Argentine businessman who in 2003 founded Funckenhausen Vineyards in south Mendoza’s San Rafael region. San Rafael’s 2700 feet of altitude and stony, deep soils proved ideal for the world-class Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay Kurt Heinlein sought to produce. GVI Wines is privileged to represent them.

Alejandro, who now runs the winery and vineyard, brings a youthful energy to the brand and its delicious wines. Famous for its 1L bottles — because “To Share You Need More Than 750ml” — GVI Wines wanted to hear from Alejandro in his own words what drives him and his Funckenhausen team.

GVI: What inspired your label design?

ALH: The Funckenhausen 1L label was born on a trip of mine to New York City and inspired mainly by Brooklyn’s colorful aesthetic. We were aware of our strong name “Funckenhausen,” wanted to highlight that, and do a somewhat colorful/catchy label for a wine that we decided to bottle in a liter with a logo that states, “To Share You Need More Than 750ml.” We try to emphasize that our proposal is not MORE volume for a cheaper price, but a great wine in a different format to be shared. We therefore put a lot of value on the fact that the name relates to the family history, that the wine is strongly related to a very special place (south Mendoza), and that a family (and not a anonymous corp.) is after it.

GVI: What wine regions/people outside of your country most inspired you? Why? 

ALH: I’ve always been keen on the concept of terroir and the soil’s influence on wines. So of course I’ve always been interested in Burgundy, but south Mendoza is far away in every sense from Burgundy’s conditions. We mainly work with segmenting our vineyards according to soil profiles, characterize the wines we obtain from each profile and seek to highlight the naturally obtained attributes from each place.

GVI: With so many wines to choose from in the American marketplace, why should American wine drinkers be excited about the wines of Argentina?

ALH: Argentina’s value proposition for mid- to high-end wines is amazing. Most planted places in Argentina are characterized by dry weather (water control), poor alluvial soils and a climate tempered with altitude. The fact that we have these variable quality soils, consistent dry weather, being able to control water, using altitude and latitude as a way to reduce temperatures and favor better natural acidity, provides us amazing conditions to obtain distinguishable wines. 

GVI: Is there anything unique you do in the vineyard or cellar that might not be considered “mainstream” or “unconventional”? How does this technique influence the style of your wines?

ALH: Our work mostly focuses on understanding our vineyard (therefore our study regarding soils and temperatures).  Our vineyard is located in an appellation that still does not have a Geographical Indication and we are trying to express its potential. 

We decided to graft Riesling in our vineyard due to our German heritage and my personal fondness of this amazing grape. There are currently only 78 hectares of Riesling in the whole country.

For the Funckenhausen 1L line of wines, we want to highlight aromatic profile and freshness. Considering the wines come in a Liter format we want the wine profile to invite to a second glass. We were the first in Argentina to produce premium wines in a Liter format.

GVI: What are some of your favorite activities when not making or selling wine?

ALH: Kitesurfing and spending time with my wife and two kids!

Torrontes White Grape

Torrontés: The Delicious Antidote to White Wine Fatigue

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It’s no longer a secret (thankfully) that South America is home to some world-class Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc wines. Chile’s Calcu, Argentina’s Aniello and Uruguay’s Marichal are standout producers. Whenever we reach for a bottle of white wine after a long day, it’s usually one of these beauties.

South America’s extravagant gifts to the wine world don’t end there. The continent is also home to Torrontés, a wildly perfumed, refreshingly crisp white wine that is perfect for days when Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc just won’t do.

Imagine sticking your nose into a bowl full of the freshest peaches and apricots. Add a whiff of white flowers and that’s Torrontés. Oak rarely, if ever, touches it.

Torrontés flourishes primarily in Argentina at high altitudes, though some can also be found in Chile. Virtually none is planted outside these two countries.

As captivating as it is to drink, Torrontés has a reputation for being difficult to grow. It demands great care and precision in the vineyard. Only producers with the most resolute commitments to quality can bring the best of out it. One of those is Tercos (whose name means “stubborn” after all). Owners Pedro and Patricio Santos, sons of famed Malbec winemaker Ricardo Santos, take no shortcuts in the vineyard, and the result is a Torrontés that will both quench your thirst and leave you wanting more.