Chadwick: 20 Years On, We Have Nothing More to Prove

On May 27, a day before the official opening of Vinexpo Asia, Chile’s iconic winery Viñedos Familia Chadwick held a masterclass in Hong Kong to commemorate the 20th anniversary of The Berlin Tasting.

Reflecting on two decades since that pivotal event, Eduardo Chadwick, the visionary behind The Berlin Tasting, sat with Vino Joy to discuss the evolution and current reputation of Chilean high-end wines on the global stage.

Celebrating 20 Years of Excellence

The masterclass co-hosted by Chadwick and Jeannie Cho Lee MW in Hong Kong was part of a global tour marking the 20th anniversary of the now iconic Berlin Tasting.

The tasting was born, as the winery owner recounted, out of frustration that critics were not recognizing the quality of Chilean wines due to their origin from Chile, a newcomer on the global wine stage.

Inspired by the historic 1976 Judgment of Paris, Chadwick, proprietor of Viñedos Familia Chadwick, hosted a blind tasting in Berlin in 2004 with the late Steven Spurrier, where they pitted Chile’s finest wines against the world’s top Bordeaux and Super Tuscans. The jury, composed of 36 of Europe’s most esteemed wine experts, tasted 16 wines: six from Chile, six from France, and four from Italy. The results of the tasting surprised everyone and proved to be a true eye-opener; two Chilean wines topped the list, with Viñedo Chadwick 2000 in first place, followed by Seña 2001, and Chateau Lafite Rothschild 2000 in third.

The landmark tasting became a watershed moment for Chile, as it catapulted Chile among the world’s best wine-making countries.

At the 20th Anniversary celebration in Hong Kong held at the Grand Hyatt Hotel, the masterclass enabled guests to relive the success of The Berlin Tasting through an unprecedented vertical tasting of Chile’s most acclaimed wines spanning five decades.

Chadwick expressed his delight with the reactions from the guests, noting, “I’ve been soliciting their feedback, and while everyone had high expectations, nearly all participants told me that the experience exceeded those expectations. They were very pleased with the opportunity to taste the vertical wines and explore the different vintages, observing their evolution. Overall, they were delighted and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.”

The masterclass featured a selection of Chile’s notable wines, including Viñedo Chadwick 2000, which had clinched first place at The Berlin Tasting 20 years ago, alongside its 2014 and 2021 iterations. The 2021 vintage in particular received 100 points from six major wine critics.

Other highlighted wines at the event included Chile’s first international joint venture, Seña, with vintages from 1998, 2009, 2015, and 2021, as well as Errázuriz’s flagship wine Don Maximiano Founder’s Reserve from the years 1984, 2008, and 2021, and KAI, crafted from Chile’s signature Carmenere grape, presented in its 2010 and 2021 vintages.

When asked why these particular vintages were chosen, Chadwick explained, “We selected various vintages for each wine to showcase their evolution and history, including cool, warm, and hot climate vintages. This approach helps people understand the diverse styles that emerge from different seasons and highlights the varied climates of Chile—from cooler to warmer. This variation is significant, and sharing how it impacts the style of the wine proved to be an enlightening experience for the attendees.”

Reflecting on the legacy of The Berlin Tasting after two decades, the enterprising winemaker is confident about Chile’s place in the world of wine. “20 years on, there’s nothing more to prove. We’ve come first in The Berlin Tasting, surpassing even Lafite. We’ve received several 100 points; Seña has already accumulated 300 points from various critics. Viñedo Chadwick has also achieved a few 100 points from critics like Suckling and Parker.”

Following The Berlin Tasting, the winery has held similar blind tastings worldwide, including in China, Japan, the U.S., and Canada, where critics have consistently given Chilean wines high scores. In some of these contests, Don Maximiano, Seña, Viñedo Chadwick, and Kai have repeatedly ranked in the top three. “We came atop of a 100-point Lafite vintage, and this is what has been repeated consistently over 10 years. I think no wine in the world has done that,” Chadwick asserts with pride.

China Remains the Winery’s Third-largest Market

With Vinexpo Asia returning to Hong Kong, China, Chadwick underscored the importance of the Chinese market for the Chilean winery, currently ranking as its third largest export market.

He noted the importance of B2C channels but emphasized that B2B wholesale and private customer channels are predominant in mainland China.

Regarding promotional efforts in mainland China, Chadwick remains proactive, stating, “Next week, we will head to Guangzhou, Shanghai, and Beijing to engage in promotions, including blind tastings and dinners. We have our own team in Shanghai and also host dinners for private clients.”

The winery is also committed to extensive training for importers to deepen their understanding of the brand and collaborates with sommeliers and wine educators to enhance wine promotion.

The winery’s dedication to the Chinese market is evident. Recently, Viñedos Familia Chadwick published a book titled “The Berlin Tasting 20th Anniversary: Uncorking the Potential of Chile’s Terroir.” The book, enriched with illustrations and text, introduces the region, winery, and wines, beginning with the inception of The Berlin Tasting and detailing each subsequent blind tasting event, including locations, judges, scores, and rankings. It covers the wines of Viñedos Familia Chadwick over the past 20 years, alongside top Bordeaux and Tuscan estates, and highlights instances where Chilean wines took first place, as well as some where Bordeaux estates led, showcasing the blind tastings’ objectivity.

To make it more accessible to Chinese readers, the book has been translated into Chinese, and well-known industry professionals Jeannie Cho Lee MW and Lu Yang MS wrote the foreword, underscoring the company’s commitment to this market.

Despite the winery’s numerous achievements, Chadwick remains humble, acknowledging the winery’s relatively recent emergence in the long history of wine. Looking ahead, Viñedos Familia Chadwick is committed to producing high-quality wines and sharing the excellence of its products with more people, as expressed by Eduardo Chadwick in the book’s foreword, “I had a dream to produce fine wines that would, over time, come to be acknowledged among the world’s Grand Crus.”

The story, as it has proven, continues to unfold.