派斯葡萄（País）：被低估的“智利宝藏” | 朱利安 | Decanter品种秀
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不过你知道吗，智利还有另一个葡萄品种，也有争夺“国家特色品种”的资格——它就是派斯（País）。
派斯不仅仅是智利独到的品种（智利拥有世界最大的种植面积），而且从智利葡萄酒行业的起始，它就已经踏上了这片土地。
从产量来看，它从来不是一个真正的“小众”品种；只不过人们一直以为它是个产量大又乏善可陈的品种，常将它小心地隐藏在公众的视线之外。就像在脸部畸形的“象人” Joseph Merrick所生活的时代：家长会把畸形的孩子隐藏起来，至少将TA的名字小心地抹去——派斯的名字也常常不会出现在瓶标之上。但是，时代正在变化……
16世纪，欧洲殖民者登陆南美州，发现当地并没有可以用来酿造葡萄酒的本地品种。除了千里迢迢从西班牙运来已经氧化的发酵葡萄汁凑合喝之外，他们只能自己种葡萄，自己酿酒。1545年9月4日，智利的第一位皇家总督Don Pedro de Valdivia给西班牙国王查尔斯十世写了一封信，说道：“望王上赐予些葡萄酒和葡萄藤，令智利开化”——后来，9月4日就成为了智利的“国家葡萄酒日”。
16世纪50年代，第一批酿酒葡萄藤被栽种在智利的土地上。几乎可以肯定，最早在智利落脚的酿酒葡萄中就包括“Viña del País（西班牙语‘来自国家的葡萄藤’）”，以及亚历山大麝香。
然而历史学家的考据显示，落地智利的派斯并非直接来自西班牙（在那里它叫做‘Listán Prieto’），更有可能来自毗邻的秘鲁。派斯被引入秘鲁，比智利早了几十年的时间，之后它以“Criolla Chica”这个名字传遍阿根廷，又以“Mission”这个名字踏上了加州的土地。现如今，阿根廷和美国已经只剩下了很少的派斯葡萄园——阿根廷还有200公顷，加州则有400公顷。相比之下，智利却拥有超过9000公顷的派斯。
派斯葡萄之所以能够在美洲大陆上广为传播，主要是因为它对任何环境都有着超强的适应能力，对主要葡萄园疾病也有着极高的抗性；派斯高产，不需要很多水，就能结出大量的果实。如此吃苦耐劳的品种，对于想以最小投入、换取大量品质尚可的葡萄酒的殖民者而言，简直是再稳妥不过的选择了。
幸运的是，一群年轻、开明又勇敢的酿酒师，开始注意到派斯低产时的品质潜力。若非如此，派斯只怕永远也无法摆脱“下等品种”的标签。
第一位注意到派斯潜力的酿酒师，是来自法国的Louis-Antoine Luyt。这位年轻的酿酒师注意到，莫莱（Maule）和伊塔塔（Itata）产区有许多种植在旱地的灌木形老藤派斯。
当地人说，这些老藤也就能用来酿一点普通餐酒。这话可激起了Luyt的法式逆反心理——他非要证明这些人说的不对。2007年，他用派斯葡萄酿出了自己的第一款葡萄酒，受到葡萄酒媒体和专业圈子的盛赞。他的成功，大大鼓舞了其他年轻智利酿酒师跟随他的步伐。
Roberto Henriquez经营着与自己同名的酒庄，也是派斯葡萄酒有名的酿酒商。他介绍说，现在派斯葡萄主要种植在“Secano Costero（Secano海岸）”地区，从卡萨布兰卡（Casablanca）到比奥比奥（Bio-Bio），种植者主要是小农户，他们耕作着从西班牙殖民者手中继承的老葡萄藤。Luyt认为，派斯的“最适产区”在莫莱的Cauquenes。不过其他一些产区也拥有老藤派斯，比如伊塔塔的Portezuelo和San Nicola，还有比奥比奥的Yumbel。
Bouchon的老藤派斯。图片拍摄：朱利安/Julien Boulard
说到老藤，Henriquez和Luyt都认为，现存最老的派斯葡萄藤可能已经有300到400年藤龄，也就是说，它们足矣跻身全世界最古老的商业葡萄园的行列。派斯葡萄的“长寿”，得益于之前提到的“吃苦耐劳”的个性：它不仅对疾病有抗性，更能够深深扎根，不需灌溉就能健康地成长。
不如说，对于派斯这种长势强劲的品种，其实不应该进行灌溉，而应该将它种植在渗水性良好的坡地——桃乐丝智利的酿酒师Cristian Carrasco介绍道。这些葡萄藤至少要50年藤龄，才能最大程度地限制它旺盛的生长能力。
不过Henriquez和Carrasco都指出，最主要的挑战在于保持酸度，因为随着派斯的成熟，酸度下降很快，所以采摘时间是关键。在莫莱，派斯的采收通常在四月的第二周进行：赤霞珠之后，佳美娜之前。
在莫莱的Mingre，知名酒庄Bouchon酿造一款美味的派斯名叫“Salvaje”，来自盘绕在附近小树林里的野生葡萄藤，树林附近则是有一个世纪历史的葡萄园。酿酒师Christian Sepúlveda解释道，派斯品种的好处在于，葡萄园几乎不需要什么照料，只要坐等收葡萄就好了。
在Bouchon工作的酒农正在采摘派斯葡萄。图片版权：Bouchon Family Wines
酿酒师Carrasco在他的博士论文中说道，酿造派斯面临的挑战比种植它更大。尽管派斯含有的单宁不高，但是酚物质链条结构很短，导致口感粗糙；此外，它缺少甜美浓郁的果味。这两点意味着，如果消费者对派斯的风格不熟悉，恐怕很难喜欢上它。
要减少粗糙的单宁，Carrasco提到了几种常见方法：比如采用二氧化碳浸渍法，在发酵结束之前就排出酒浆，亦或是彻底抛弃压榨酒。
那么，派斯葡萄酒喝起来是怎样的？
它的颜色总是偏淡，口感则以粗糙、大颗粒的单宁为特点。至于香气，我喜欢Luyt的形容：“比奥比奥酿造的派斯最是新鲜，和卢瓦河谷的黑诗南（Pineau d'Aunis）有异曲同工之妙；伊塔塔派斯的风格和佳美（Gamay）更相似；莫莱的派斯，香气具有冷凉气候西拉的风骨。但是所有这些产区的派斯，都往往呈现烟熏、白胡椒的风味。”
当市场上充斥着果香浓郁、口味丰满的赤霞珠、梅乐和佳美娜时，派斯不失为一个特立独行、值得一试的新品种。我不认为它粗犷的风格会被大众市场所青睐，但在发烧友当中，它说不定会成为一个受欢迎的小众品种。Carrasco说得很对：“10年前，没人敢在葡萄酒展拿出一瓶派斯给大家尝试。可现在不一样了，人们开始大胆地谈论它的潜力。”
不过，Louis-Antoine Luyt也指出了派斯在市场上面临的三个关键挑战。第一个是派斯葡萄太便宜了——每公斤仅仅0.3到0.35美元（相当于每公斤2到2.5元），年青一代的酿酒师很难鼓起干劲在它身上下功夫。第二是智利本土市场对它的需求量很少，派斯在大多数人心目中，依然是便宜酒的代名词，还需要大量时间和不断的努力，才能摆脱这根深蒂固的刻板印象。第三个挑战来自林木业的发展——随着越来越多的原始森林被砍伐，种植桉树和松树，智利的生态环境正在发生翻天覆地的变化。
不论怎样，我都很喜欢派斯。并不是因为它酿造出的酒有多么杰出的品质，更多是因为它能为智利葡萄酒市场带来多样性的选择。我很喜欢智利，但我发现太多的酿酒商，一直只把注意力放在两三种白葡萄和六七种常见红葡萄上——也许是时候增添些多样性了。而智利酿酒师们的手上，已经握着一个当地种植广泛，在世界其他地区却很少见的独特品种，何不将它发扬光大呢？
（翻译：Sylvia Wu/吴嘉溦）
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País, Chile’s underestimated asset
When asking about Chile’s signature grape variety, it is safe to assume that most people will immediately think of Carménère. Indeed, a lot of efforts have been deployed to promote it since its (re)discovery by Pr. Jean-Michel Boursiquot in 1994, and the relatively easiness to transform it into a very quaffable, unctuous, easy-to-appreciate red wine has further helped it to gain recognition on both the domestic and international markets within a very short time. However, there is another grape variety which might rightfully claim the conspicuous title of “National flagship” grape variety: País.
Not only is this variety quite unique to Chile (the country has by far the world’s largest planted area – although it is also known as ‘Mission’ in California and Criolla Chica in Argentina), but it has also been grown there since the very beginning of the Chilean wine industry, and it has never been a “niche” in terms of production quantities. Still, its image as a bulk wine workhorse led the Chileans to cautiously hide it from the public’s view, a bit like a deformed child during Joseph Merrick times, or at least to carefully erase its name from containers filled with it. But times are changing…
History
When the conquistadores reached the Southern part of the American continent in the 16th Century, they found out that there wasn’t any indigenous grape variety which could have been turned into some kind of wine, and the only alternative to drinking the oxidized fermented grape juice shipped from Spain was to cultivate their own vineyards and to make their own alcohol. On September 4th 1545, the first Royal Governor of Chile, Don Pedro de Valdivia, wrote a letter to the King of Spain Charles X for “vines and wines to evangelise Chile” (September 4th has since then become the official “Chile’s National Wine Day”). Following this letter, the first cuttings were planted in the mid 1550s, and it is very likely that the first batch included the Viña del País (“The vine from the country”), on top of some Muscat of Alexandria.
However, according to historians, the variety wasn’t directly imported from Spain (where it is known as Listán Prieto), but more likely from neighboring Peru where it was introduced a few decades earlier. From there, it spread to Argentina under the name Criolla Chica and to California under the name Mission. Nowadays, these two countries do not have much left: about 200 hectares of Criolla Chica in Argentina and 400 ha of Mission in California, compared to more than 9,000 ha of País in Chile!
The Revival
The main reason why País was so ardently embraced across the American continent was because of its ability to adapt to any growing environment, its resistance against the major diseases, its low water needs and the enormous crops it can yield. These qualities made it the safest bet for anyone looking to produce a substantial amount of drinkable grape alcohol at minimum costs.
Its pariah status in the highly hierarchical world of wine grapes wouldn’t have changed if a bunch of young, open-minded, gutsy winemakers hadn’t bet on its qualitative potential.
One of the first one to have believed in the potential of País to make high quality red wines was Louis-Antoine Luyt, a young French vigneron whose curiosity got aroused by the very old, dry-farmed bush vines he saw in the Maule and Itata regions. When locals explained that these vines were only good to make two-bit jug wine, his innate French contradictory nature pushed him to prove them wrong. He made his first wine out of País grapes in 2007 and quickly received praises from wine media and professionals, encouraging other young Chilean winemakers to follow his path.
In the vineyard
Roberto Henriquez, owner of the eponymous winery and a highly respected producer of País, explains that the grape is now predominantly found in the “Secano Costero” region, from Casablanca to Bio-Bio, mainly cultivated by small farmers who have inherited very old vineyards from the first Spanish settlers. According to Luyt, the “hot spot” for País is Cauquenes, in the Maule region, although very old and high-quality vines are also found in several other regions such as Portezuelo and San Nicola in Itata or Yumbel in Bio-Bio.
According to both Henriquez and Luyt, some of the oldest vineyards might well have been planted 300 to 400 years ago, making them potentially the oldest commercial vineyards in the world! This incredible longevity is due to the very “rustic” character of País which shows a very good resistance to diseases and its ability to grow very deep roots, allowing it to grow healthily without the need for irrigation.
Actually, irrigation should be avoided as País is a vigorous variety, and it should therefore be planted on well-drained slopes and preferably be over 50 years old to restrain its luscious vegetative growth, explains Cristian Carrasco, winemaker at Torres Chile. But both Henriquez and Carrasco point out that the main challenge in the vineyard is to manage to retain its acidity which falls down very quickly. Picking time is therefore key here, normally occurring during the first and second week of April in Maule, between Cabernet Sauvignon and Carménère.
Bouchon, a well-respected winery located in Mingre in the Maule region, produces a lovely País Salvaje from wild vines growing up the trees of a little wood close by a century-old vineyard. Winemaker Christian Sepúlveda explains that the great thing with this variety is that there is almost nothing to do in the vineyard except harvesting the grapes!
In the cellar
According to Carrasco, who wrote a PhD thesis on the variety, País’ challenges are more in the cellar rather than in the vineyard: País has short-chain tannins, and although these aren’t present in huge quantities, these short chains produce a rustic, rough mouthfeel. When coupled with the lack of intense sweet fruit, these make the wine difficult to appreciate by consumers not familiar with the style. To reduce the influence of these tannins, Carrasco explains that techniques such as carbonic maceration, running off the juice before the end of fermentation or discarding the press wine are common practices.
In the glass
So, what does País taste like? The wines are always pale in colour and marked by these rustic, edgy tannins. From an aromatic perspective, I love Luyt’s analogy: “Bio Bio produces the freshest examples reminiscent of Loire Valley’s Pineau d’Aunis; Itata’s style is more in line with Gamay, while the wines coming from Maule are more redolent of cool climate Syrah. But all of them tend to display a smoky and white pepper character.”
The challenges
País offers a unique alternative to the more market-driven, fruity and opulent Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Carménère. I don’t think its rustic style will ever be appreciated by the mass-market. Nonetheless, I think there is a real potential among the niche of advanced wine consumers. As Carrasco rightly points out: “ten years ago, nobody would have dare to present a wine of País at a wine fair but things are now changing: people are starting to speak about it”.
Louis-Antoine Luyt also points out three critical challenges. The first one is the very low price of País grapes: about 0.30 USD to 0.35 USD / kg (2 to 2.5 RMB per kilogram), which doesn’t really encourage young generations of winegrowers to spend too much time on it. The second challenge is the poor demand within the domestic market; País still suffers from a cheap wine image, and it will need time and on-going efforts to make this deeply-anchored stereotype disappear. The third issue is the pressure of the forest industry, especially eucalyptus and pine trees which are replacing native forests, drastically changing the Chilean ecosystem.
I love País. Not that it produces wines of outstanding quality, but because of the diversity it brings to the Chilean wine landscape. I love this country, but I find that Chilean producers have been relying for way too long on only two or three white varieties and half a dozen red varieties. I think the country really needs to start diversifying its offer. Having large quantities of a grape variety which is rather insignificant in other parts of the world is a unique asset worth exploring further!
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