VIK
RESERVATIONS ARE NOW OPEN. Call 706.922.9463 to secure your reservation!
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Join us on February 24th as we experience the Chilean excellence of VIK wines paired with innovative dishes by Chef Justin Hayes.
VIK Winery is a renowned winery located in the Millahue Valley, Chile. This exceptional producer is known for its meticulous attention to detail in every aspect of winemaking. The winemaking is a harmonious blend of traditional and modern techniques, resulting in wines that beautifully express the terroir and showcase the full potential of the grapes. The wines from Viña Vik are characterized by their elegance, complexity, and balance.
We invite you to join us, along with our special guest and winemaker from Chile, Cristián Vallejo, for an incredible night featuring the beautiful wines from VIK.
Saturday, February 24, 2024
$160 Per Guest ++
6:00pm Reception | 6:30pm Dinner
VIK was created in Millahue in the Cachapoal Valley. This is a vineyard that embodies the perfect fusion between humans, experience, land, climate and high technology.
The Chilean winery produces four estate wines, all Bordeaux-style blends, using science and technology to enhance the farming and winemaking process without any chemical intervention. In addition to their tech-savvy tools and dedication to sustainability, VIK also makes their own amphorae from the clay in their vineyards—a nod to Old Worldwinemaking tradition and a technique said to further celebrate their Chilean terroir—and have even developed their own line of barrels using Chilean oak.
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The Vineyards: Where Elegance Begins
Embark on an enlightening journey as we delve into the profound terroir that characterizes VIK Winery within the Millahue Valley. This educational exploration unveils the intricate interplay of geographical and climatic factors, offering a nuanced understanding of how this Chilean estate's location profoundly influences the sensory tapestry of its wines.
Geographical Influence: The Andes and Coastal Range Dance:
Situated between the grandeur of the Andes Mountains and the Coastal Range, the Millahue Valley finds itself in the embrace of two imposing geographical features. This unique position creates a mesoclimatic environment that significantly shapes VIK's wines. The Andes act as a barrier, influencing temperature differentials and sheltering the vineyards from extreme weather, while the Coastal Range introduces cooling oceanic breezes. This delicate dance between mountains ensures a balance between warmth and coolness, nurturing optimal conditions for grape cultivation.
Elevations ranging from 1,475 to 2,300 feet above sea level contribute to VIK's high-altitude viticulture. This elevation not only imparts a natural freshness to the grapes but extends the maturation period, allowing for a gradual development of flavors and aromas. As a result, the wines exhibit a refined complexity that stems from the prolonged ripening process at this elevated altitude.
Exploring the Terroir
Each glass of VIK wine serves as a lesson in terroir appreciation, encapsulating the profound influence of the Millahue Valley's geography, soil diversity, altitude, and sustainable practices. VIK vineyard was born amidst the foothills of the Andes mountains, within the Millahue Valley, named "Lugar de Oro" or "Golden Place" by the native Mapuche people: 4,300 hectares of astonishing Chilean wilderness where they planted over 327 hectares of vines.
VIK’s terroir offers a majestic and natural landscape composed of 12 valleys, each one with its own micro-climate, distinct exposures, all within a wind-tunnel cooled by Pacific coastal breezes and winds from high up in the Andes mountains that provide VIK with enormous complexity and exceptional variety.
ABOUT THE WINEMAKER
Cristián Vallejo
Chief Winemaker Cristian Vallejo, a Chilean native, oversees VIK's viticulture and viniculture, ensuring grapes are harvested by hand and fermentation occurs naturally with no added yeasts. Cristián started carving out space for himself in the wine world shortly after graduating from an agriculture and winemaking program in Chile. His first job with Viña Undurraga (one of the oldest wineries in Chile’s Maipo Valley) quickly segued into a more senior position at Viña Valdivieso (the first sparkling house in South America). While at Valdivieso, he met the Canepa family who offered him a unique opportunity with a winery called Viña TerraMater. He stayed with the winery for ten years because the Canepa family considered it an investment to help Cristián pursue understanding wine on a global scale.
During the off-seasons, the family sent him to the Northern hemisphere to work harvest with premier producers — like the famous Château Margaux — and learn about global winemaking techniques and cultures. He spent time in four countries, learned different things at each, and after every harvest abroad, he harnessed his new understanding to make the best wines he could.
“Wine for me is my passion because it puts me in contact with nature and helps me to meet amazing cultures and people from where I learn a lot. It also makes me make amazing friends all around the world....I will love to see them more often!”
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VIK Dinner Menu
CHEF JUSTIN HAYES
