The Man Behind Marques de Casa Concha
by Olivia Tiboleng
@ 18 Nov 2016
Last week we had the privilege of having a tasting session with Chilean wines from Marques de Casa Concha. It began in 1976, and with the help of its winemaker, Mr Marcelo Papa, the line has catapulted to be one of Chile’s most emblematic wines.
1. How did your passion for wines come about?
My parents are of Italian heritage and wine has always been a part of our family. My grandfather also had a vineyard in the south of Chile where he made wine for his own consumption. My love for wine came naturally as I always grew up around wine. I went to university in the mid-80s and during that time there was a huge boom for fruticulture. So I went to university to learn that and there were courses on fruticulture and winemaking. So I thought why not? It was interesting, I loved it and I never stopped.
2. For our readers who are learning about wine, what is unique about Marques de Casa Concha?
I think Marques is a beautiful range because it uses the diversity of Chile. It is a range that is not located in just one place and we have the freedom to go and produce the best variety in the best location to grow the grapes. It is a matter of personal approach – if I like chardonnay from Casablanca, I would go there and produce right there in Casablanca. But I like it in Limari, so I pushed the company to go to Limari. So I think that is the beauty of Marques.
3. How has the wineries evolved since it first began?
The evolution of the wineries is huge. The conditions have changed a lot since the 70s and 80s. It was a lot of classic wineries and old equipment. Then in the beginning of the 90s, the wineries invested a lot in technology. Now, more than 10 years on, we are going back to focus more on the vineyards. But you need a good winery and facility to do proper winemaking.
4. Any new developments that we can expect for Marques de Concha Casa?
Right now, we have all the technology we need. The first step to get good quality of wine is the vineyard. Select the right place, create a good fruticulture and that is 90% of your quality right there.
5. Which wine would you recommend for a wine beginner?
It all depends on the food. For cheese like brie and camembert, I would recommend a glass of Chardonnay. For parma ham, prosciutto, Spanish choizo or Iberico ham, I would recommend pinot noir. For ceviche, which is not common here, or even oysters, I would recommend the sauvignon blanc. Red wines have more complex flavours; hence I would recommend pinot noir which is lighter.
