Their goal: To make wines that are gustoso -- tasty, says senior winemaker Santiago Margozzini.

''We're looking for roundness, sweet, ripe tannins,'' he says, ``with spicy, peppery black fruit, so soft and mellow you can drink it as soon as it's done fermenting.''

The protected valley between the Coastal Range mountains and the Andes boasts warm days, cool nights and plenty of sun. Today, MontGras' 460 acres produce 600,000 cases of wine a year, most for export.

With that foundation, the owners turned to more ambitious goals, adding three vineyards and brands between 1998 and 2006.

''We want to produce world-class wines that give customers great value from a number of different locations,'' Hérnan Gras says.

Ninquén, a 250-acre vineyard on a plateau atop a 1,600-foot mountain, ''has a number of different sun exposures and soils,'' says Margozzini. ''Because of the altitude, this vineyard gives low yields but powerful wines, capable of longer aging.'' Ninquén produces 12,000 cases a year.

The 420-acre Intriga vineyard in the Maipo Valley contributes 4,000 cases of ''fresh, cool, angular wines capable of aging,'' says Margozzini.

The 200-acre Amaral vineyard in the Leyda Valley -- eight miles from the Pacific and its icy, offshore Humboldt Current -- is dedicated to cool-weather varietals such as sauvignon blanc, chardonnay and pinot noir. It's producing 8,000 cases a year.

Why four separate vineyards? Gras explains: ``We think it's easier to have several wineries each making a few wines than one winery making many.''

Most of the wines here are available now at Publix, Winn Dixie and Crown Liquors. A few will arrive in August.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

• 2008 Amaral Sauvignon Blanc, Leyda Valley, Chile: light, lively and crisp, with intense flavors of grass, minerals and white grapefruit; $19.

• 2006 Ninquén Antu Syrah, Colchagua Valley, Chile: intense mulberry and mocha flavors; big, muscular tannin; age-worthy; $20.

• 2007 MontGras Quattro, Colchagua Valley, Chile (cabernet sauvignon, malbec, syrah, carmenère): deep color; black plums and mocha; big tannins; $16.

RECOMMENDED

• 2006 Intriga Cabernet Sauvignon, Maipo Valley, Chile: black raspberries and mocha; intensely fruity; big, ripe tannins; $30.

• 2007 MontGras Carmenère Reserva, Colchagua Valley, Chile: deep color; milk chocolate, cherry and black pepper flavors; soft, round tannins; $14.

• 2006 Ninquén Antu Cabernet SauvignonCarmenère, Colchagua, Chile: cassis and black raspberry flavors; big, firm tannins; $20.

• 2004 Ninquén Mountain Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Colchagua: cassis and bitter chocolate flavors; big tannins; needs time; $50.

• 2005 Ninquén Mountain Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Colchagua: rich, powerful cassis flavors; smooth, weighty, tannins that build in the mouth; age-worthy; $50.

Join the discussion

Note: If this is your first time using our NEW commenting system, you will have to LOG OUT and then LOG BACK IN.

The Miami Herald is pleased to provide this opportunity to share information, experiences and observations about what's in the news. Some of the comments may be reprinted elsewhere in the site or in the newspaper. We encourage lively, open debate on the issues of the day, and ask that you refrain from profanity, hate speech, personal comments and remarks that are off point. In order to post comments, you must be a registered user of MiamiHerald.com. Your username will show along with the comments you post. Thank you for taking the time to offer your thoughts.

     Showing: Oldest first Newest first Most-recommended first Least-recommended first

@Nyx.AuthorDisplayName@ wrote on @Nyx.PostedAtTime@:

@Nyx.CommentBody@

@Nyx.Recommender@ @Nyx.AbuseReporter@