Palo Alto and the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources of Puerto Rico have begun work on a project that involves adopting a natural reserve area, La Marquesa Forest Park.  In sales points the consumer will receive a gift card which allows him to pick up a native tree nursery in one of the assigned nurseries located near Wal Mart, Sam’s Club and  Supercenter stores.

Palo Alto is proud to contribute to the environment, as Puerto Rico is yet another country that joins the great cause of “Reforesting the Planet”, and we hope to continue expanding our campaign around the world.

2010-12-02

A modern, committed style marks Palo Alto winery’s awareness of environmental problems.  In its mission to reforest the planet, Palo Alto has formed alliances with various international NGOs in the United Kingdom, Brazil, Mexico and Ireland.  Now it’s Chile’s turn.

Palo Alto, an affordable, high quality reserve wine, not only takes the best the Maule Valley has to offer – it is also is committed to care for the environment.   An enthusiast by nature and inseparable from its roots, Palo Alto’s mission is to reforest the planet.  The winery’s strong interest in environmental issues led Palo Alto to sign an alliance with Fundación Mi Parque (“My Park Foundation”).

The purpose of this alliance is to encourage development of green areas and thus improve the quality of life of people in our country’s most vulnerable sectors. Palo Alto is now part of this social commitment and is proud to announce it participates in a cause that benefits the entire community.

In the past three years Palo Alto winery has become increasingly aware of the environmental problems affecting the world.  In 2007 the winery signed an alliance with “Trees for Cities”, a British NGO whose goal is to reforest London.  The winery’s current campaign “Buy three and get one tree” (for the purchase of three bottles you get a tree) has the goal of planting 100,000 trees.  This campaign and other activities carried out by Palo Alto have positioned it as a winery with great environmental responsibility.

In 2009 Brazil and Mexico join this cause and Palo Alto begins to work with “Green Initiative”, an NGO focusing on reforestation of the Amazon rainforest as well as with “Let’s Reforest Mexico”, whose aim is the conservation of forests and jungles in that country.  Today, in 2010, Palo Alto has begun work on improving its own country, Chile.

Palo Alto brand manager Diego Caffarena comments: “Palo Alto feels the obligation of giving back to the earth all it has received from Nature.  That is why together with My Park Foundation we wish to promote the development of green areas and reforest the planet. The Foundation, headed by Martin Andrade, has done a great job in urban reforestation and I think Palo Alto should be a faithful contributor to this cause.”

Without doubt, this partnership has already borne fruit and helped My Park Foundation carry out its projects.  “For us, this alliance is very important because Palo Alto is the first company that will not only help us communicate our mission, but will also contribute resources to create more improved green areas for vulnerable communities in our country,” said Andrade.

Finally, it is important to emphasize Palo Alto wines’ international success – particularly its red wine blend, an outstanding best value.  This wine has won a Gold Medal in the Concours  Mondial de Bruxelles 2010   and in Mundus Vini 2010.  In this latter competition it was named the Best New World Red (under € 7 per bottle).

Currently, Palo Alto winery’s objectives are focused on strengthening its presence in the young adult segment, as it is a reserve wine offering an innovative proposal in addition to its commitment to the ecosystem, and also to increase penetration in Chile’s domestic market to match the success it has achieved in Europe

2010-12-02

My intention in this column was to talk about Palo Alto white and rosé wines – their origin, winemaking process and how to drink them… but it was impossible for me to write about them without first remembering how frequently one finds many consumers discovering new sensations and new consumption occasions when they taste our winery’s Sauvignon Blanc  and Syrah Rosé.  Too many people still think of drinking wine only when they sit down to eat with a good bottle of red wine.   I hope the way I describe our wines will encourage you to taste and open yourselves up to drinking white and rosé wines more regularly.

Our wines identify closely with the wine growing areas and grapes from which they are made.  For example, our Sauvignon Blanc is made from grapes grown in the Maule Valley’s slopes at the feet of the Andes, specifically in the San Clemente area.   This wine’s characteristics are its freshness, herbal notes and sharp acidity, due mainly to the cool climatic conditions during the ripening period.   Its strong minerality and concentration are given by the area’s clay soils.  In mouth, the wine will leave a juicy sensation, making it an ideal companion for salads, shellfish, ceviche or simply as an appetizer.

The Rosé is made from Syrah grapes grown in vineyards specially selected for this wine, where grape clusters are protected from excessive sunlight to avoid a reduction in aromas.  Grapes are harvested nd early in the season to preserve their natural acidity.  They are handled very delicately and vinified as white wines – that is, grapes are crushed immediately and juices are cleaned before fermentation starts, to obtain red fruit aromas such as cherries and raspberries.  There are many and varied consumption occasions for Syrah Rosé with different foods, ranging from appetizers to salads to poultry.  Rosé will surprise you every time – perhaps because it is a relatively unknown type of wine.  Here the consumer truly encounters new aromas and sensations.

2010-12-02

Palo Alto Reserva 2009 has been awarded a Gold Medal and the best red wine of the year in its price category (under 7 € per bottle) in the prestigious Mundus Vini 2010 competition. Palo Alto Reserva’s outstanding best value has helped position Palo Alto winery in major wine markets.

Mundus Vini is the largest international wine competition in terms of participating wines. It was founded in 2001 in Germany and is a subsidiary enterprise of renowned Meininger Veralag publishers. The samples submitted to this competition are tasted blind with no indication of the wine’s origin.

The jury includes winemakers, sommeliers, wine writers and the most important German and international buyers. During the competition 5,883 wines from 42 countries were tasted, but only 30% of these are awarded prizes. To receive a gold medal the jury must have rated the wine with 85 to 91 points.

This Reserve wine, a blend made from Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Carmenere, originates in the Maule Valley. Palo Alto Reserva has participated in many competitions, and its accessible price and great quality helped it earn the respect and recognition of the specialized press and at the same time capture consumers’ interest across the world.

In February, when we were approaching the vintage 2010, we thought that fresh spring and a climate with minimum and maximum temperatures lower than other years can affect the maturation of the grapes. It was “logical to think that some varieties would benefit and others suffer. Obviously, we expected that Merlot and Cabernet were going to give us a good vintage. Perhaps the Carmenere strict in maturity were the most uncertain.

Before the harvest I taste the grape and I discovered that we are in a very good year. The Merlot is excellent; fresh fruit, soft and concentrated. The Syrah can adapted to different have enhanced its notes of red fruits and the acidity gives a lot of freshness and vitality. The Cabernet has deep colors and is distinguished for their softness and elegance. What about Carmenere?…big surprise, intense in color, fruity, less spicy than other years, structured, soft and with a perfect maturity between acidity and alcohol.

In each vineyard and in each wine from Maule Valley, there are many things to discover and many to learn, because it is clear … all vintages are different.