Adolfo Hurtado's novel views on minerality
Last Friday, one of the things we discussed with Cono Sur winemaker Adolfo Hurtado was minerality in Chilean Sauvignon Blanc.
He has an interesting theory.
Most of the important Sauvignon Blanc vineyards he works with are close to the sea. For lengthy periods, they are blanketed in coastal fogs. (Pictured above is a fog developing on the Chilean coast.)
These coastal fogs, he claims, are salty. Any iron-containing metal structures near the sea rust almost immediately because of this.
The fog transmits small quantities of salt directly onto the grape skins, and thus the wines have a slight saltiness which presents itself as minerality.
What do you think?
Labels: Chile, minerality