Terroir by the glass

"For me, wine-drinking is about experience as well as taste," says Rodrigo Jackson, Concha y Toro's managing director for China. "When I drink a particular vintage, I like to think back about that time, and what I was doing then.

"In 1988, for example," he says, "I was watching the Seoul Olympics, completely fascinated. And in Chile - we still had Pinochet then. Incredible times."

Eyes on China

Like every other wine producer, Chile pays a lot of attention to the Chinese market these days. While the government's 2012 crackdown on extravagance put a big dent in luxury purchases like ultra-premium wines, the team at Don Melchor sees a silver lining.

"People now are more likely to be buying wines that they like to drink themselves, instead of wines that will impress clients or make fancy gifts," says Jackson. "That means the market is becoming younger but more discerning, and much more sustainable long-term."

Globally, there is a rising trend in white wine sales, but that movement is more muted in China.

"In this country, grape wine means red wine," says Tirado, who has seen Don Melchor appear in more and more five-star hotels and top restaurants in China on his visits during the past two years.

"Making great red wine is what we're all about."