Aurelio Montes is the spirited visionary spearheading Chile’s winemaking revolution and has been called “the dean of Chilean winemakers”.
In 1988, along with Douglas Murray, Alfredo Vidaurre and Pedro Grand, Aurelio Montes founded what became Viña Montes. Montes described the four friends as “poor guys dreaming” to produce world-class wine when Chilean winemakers were overwhelmingly focused on quantity. After surveying the Apalta landscape in a helicopter to discover its “hidden valleys, slopes [and] corners,” he made the bold decision to plant on hillsides when most Chilean vines were planted on the valley floor. The result was nothing short of a viticultural revolution.
Excerpt taken from Wine Spectator
Author: Kenny Martin
