In this episode of the ‘In Search of Flavor’ podcast, winemaker Rodrigo Romero joins us to talk about his wine personal project, Trapi del Bueno, located in the far south of Chile in the country’s lake district, not far from where Northern Patagonia begins. Rodrigo, whose winemaking career spans nearly three decades from university to working with important Chilean producers in both the Bio Bio and Colchagua Valleys, shares his journey into the world of winemaking and how his love of France’s Burgundy region, drove him to seek for a special, cooler region in Chile to plant his own vines and make his expressive wines. He discusses why his non-interventionist philosophy of winemaking is rooted in the concept of terroir (and what that is) along with the distinct challenges and rewards of growing grapes in the southernmost commercial vineyard in Chile.
In this episode we talk about:
• The wine revolution in Chile and how Rodrigo started exploring the wine in Burgundy, France
• His definition of terroir and how that relates to growing grapes and winemaking
• The journey and a 10-year search to identify the perfect site to plant his vineyard in the rainy south of Chile–a place where nobody had planted vines before.
• Understanding the climatic conditions in the south and their impact on wine production, and how ultimately these translate into Trapi’s unique wines
• Why Trapi’s wines are vegan, sustainable, and have incredibly low sulfates.
• His future plans in the US market and the legacy he hopes to leave the Chilean wine industry
Resources:
Instagram:@trapidelbueno
Travel in the South of Chile: Lake District & Patagonia
