Roberto Henriquez revives Chile's pipeño tradition

Simon discovers Chile's ancient pipeño tradition - a South American orange wine style - and one of its modern-day champions, Roberto Henriquez

The greatest thing about wine is that just when you think you know everything, someone comes along and shatters that complacent vision to smithereens.

This happened to me last week, during a few intense days at La Dive Bouteille and its associated spin-off fairs in the Loire. Tasting at Les Pénitentes in Angers, I stumbled across Roberto Henriquez, a lone South American amongst a sea of European producers. Henriquez is a young Chilean winemaker with vineyards in the Bio-bio and Itata valleys. He's been patiently building up vineyard holdings, and now has seven hectares including some very precious 200 year old Pais (AKA Mission, AKA Listan Negro).