The critical acclaim continues to roll in for De Martino. On the heels of their winemaker, Marcelo Retamal, being named one of the 50 Greatest Winemakers in the World by Decanter Magazine, the winery has been named a “Top 100” by Wine & Spirits Magazine.
Retamal’s efforts have not gone unnoticed. Then again, it’s hard to ignore a pioneer. He made a drastic change to the winery’s winemaking style back in 2011, completely eliminating new oak, a prevalent quality in Chilean wines. Since then, many of his neighbors have followed suit. His experimentation did not stop there. He has successfully produced wines in old clay amphorae, both of which were rated an astounding 95 (Viejas Tinajas Muscat 2013) and 94 (Viejas Tinajas Cinsault 2012) points. He eliminated the use of non-native yeasts. He anticipated the harvest to avoid overripe fruit. Retamal’s goal was to let the fruit speak for itself, because he firmly believes that if the work is done properly in the vineyards, there is no need to intervene. De Martino is consistently at the forefront of Chilean winemaking innovations, with many neighboring wineries first calling them crazy, but not long after following suit.
De Martino‘s wines are now food-friendly, lower alcohol, pure expressions of Chile’s amazing and diverse terroirs.
