As we modernize, globalize and robotize, tradition often gets left behind. Sometimes this is a good thing — I’m happy I wasn’t wedded off to some stranger for a plot of land. But then came things like microwaves, mass-produced wine and social media, which has taken a toll on our eating, drinking and being merry, a.k.a. life’s best moments.
So when you find a family putting all their effort toward reviving their heritage and doing it well, it’d be a shame not to support them and spread the word that they’re out there. Hence this post about a lovely Chilean family in Guarilihue.
Guarilihue happens to be one of my favorite winemaking regions in all the world, right up there with Priorat and Piedmont. And if you’d like to know more about this quaint Chilean wine region, just click on over to my post about the Itata Valley. For now, it’s all about Vilma, Vilma hija and Herman.
I got to know the family via Herman, who is a part of the Vinos de Patio producers in Guarilihue. The second I met these guys, I fell in love. Humble, hard-working winegrowers looking to rescue their vines and make quality wines. They’ve been at it for several years now, and they’re only getting better.
In the beginning, Herman was quite timid, excited about the project, but reserved. Flash forward to a few years later and he’s showing me all his new projects, talking with confidence and making great wine. It’s been exciting to watch the transition from wanting it to 100 percent believing in it and living it.
Of course, behind great men are great women. Enter Vilma the mother and Vilma the daughter. For their first vintage with Vinos de Patio, those fine ladies ran around the clock to line the large plastic fermentation bin with ice to keep temperatures cool. And then, as temperatures dropped, they switched to maintaining hot water bottles to prolong fermentation.
But what I love most about these ladies is their ability to make one mouthwatering meal. We’re talking home-cooked comida chilena at its finest. The secret? Generations of know-how, patience, pride and that horno de barro, an outdoor clay oven.
In fact, the mother-daughter duo is so great at what they do that they’re opening a restaurant, right there in their patio. However, if you know anything about Chilean bureaucracy, you know that this will be a while, as they have to get all the approvals and permits…nonetheless, if you want to have a taste, contact me and I can make that happen 😉
And then I can’t help but add a few photos of their eclectic decor. While you wait on food that’s worth waiting for, you can have a lot of fun sipping great wine and looking at all the gems they’ve collected over the years.
And then some randoms…
