Aurelio Montes, Jr. Would Like You To Try Carmenere - #025

Inside Wine Podcast

If you've never had a Carmenere wine, maybe the man who makes the best one in the world can convince you to try it.

Aurelio Montes, Jr. -- a sky diver, boxer, motorcyclist, and winemaker -- tells the story of Carmenere, a mostly forgotten blending grape in Bordeaux that was mistaken for Merlot in Chile and today can make the most interesting and delicious wines from South America.

About Aurelio

The son of Chilean winemaking pioneer Aurelio Montes, Sr., Aurelio Montes del Campo was born in Santiago, Chile. He completed his high-school education at The Newland School. In 1994, he went to university to study Agronomy at Universidad Católica de Chile, where he also completed an advanced undergraduate course in winemaking. He graduated from college cum laude in 1999.

Early in his career as a winemaker, Aurelio travelled around the world to see the main wine-making regions. He gained extensive knowledge of and valuable experience in winery management and winemaking practices. He returned to Chile in 2001 and joined Viña Ventisquero as an assistant to Winemaker, Felipe Tosso.

In 2007, he was invited to join Montes’ winemaking team as Winemaking Director. He worked at the Apalta winery, where Montes’ iconic and Alpha Premium wines are made. During those years, he created new wines and studied Montes’ terroir as part of a special 4-year project carried out with Pedro Parra, a world expert in this field.

In 2011, Aurelio temporarily moved with his family to Mendoza, Argentina, to help lead Montes’ winery in Argentina: Kaiken. He turned Kaiken into a symbol of high-quality in Argentina’s wine industry. In 2016, Aurelio returned to Chile with his family to take on the role of Montes’ Chief Winemaker. He is in charge of Montes’ whole oenological team.

Follow Aurelio on Instagram @aureliomonteschile https://www.instagram.com/aureliomonteschile/

Follow Montes wines in the USA @monteswines_usa https://www.instagram.com/monteswines_usa/?hl=en

Follow Montes winery in Chile @monteswines https://www.instagram.com/monteswines/?hl=en

Learn more about Montes Winery: https://www.monteswines.com/en/

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