VIK Wines: A Story Like No Other
The story of VIK begins with Norwegian entrepreneur Alexander Vik. In 2004, he envisioned a luxury retreat and vineyard that would produce world-class wines. The pursuit led him about two hours south of Santiago to 11,000 acres in the Millahue Valley, between the Pacific Ocean and the high-altitude Andes Mountains.
Vallejo oversees VIK's viticulture and viniculture. He is a native Chilean who has worked in Napa, Spain, France, and Italy before returning to Chile in 2006 to begin work at VIK. Through our discussion, it is clear that he is determined to make the most elegant, dynamic, and expressive wines imaginable. When I asked about his view of VIK wines, Vallejo noted that he wanted the wines "to be easy to read, not easy to drink." He views his wines like a book –"every sip is a page, and every glass is a chapter telling a beautiful story." Like a good book, good wine is the product of someone who loves what they do, and Vallejo's passion for wine and winemaking is infectious.
As Vallejo noted, VIK is like a book telling a beautiful story of passion and dedication. Like a good story, VIK leaves you wanting more. As such, VIK and Vallejo continue to innovate and evolve by embracing sustainable practices, most notably organic and biodynamic viticulture. Vallejo is also currently working on two unique passion projects inspired by the desire to have VIK wine wholly reflect Chile's Millahue Valley terroir. The first is coopering casks from estate wood, and the second is “Amphoir” (a neologism combining of “amphora” and “terroir”), a project using clay from the VIK estate to produce their own amphoras and follow the ancient method of making and storing wine in clay.
Together with the long-standing commitment to quality, these innovations will surely inform the next intriguing chapter of the VIK story.