Chilean wines big hit in indpendents

Chilean wines are growing fast in the independent wine trade. Having displaced Italy from fourth place by volume they now have a 10% share of the sector. According to Wine of Chile's European director Michael Cox, consumers are showing their support for independent wine merchants while supermarkets are starting to lose their vice-like grip on the market.

Speaking in Dusseldorf, he said Chile had still not reached its full potential in the £6 to £12 area as too many Old World wine regions are still stuck in people's minds, but they don't represent such good value for money as Chile.

Cox said part of the reason for the growth was the diversity of the Chilean wine offering as well as emerging groups of independent winemakers such as MOVI (Movement of Independent Vintners) which was set up four years ago and incorporates 15 small-scale wine producers who banded together to gain some critical mass.