>> Funding for this series has been provided in part by the following... ♪ ♪ >> ♪ No, take me home ♪ >> Vgan chocolate, Norwegian flavor, available in Walmart stores.

♪ ♪ ♪ [ Wind blowing ] ♪ >> I'm Liora, and I'm a sommelier.

>> And I'm Maya, and I'm also a sommelier.

>> And I'm Yolanda.

My expertise is food.

>> In every episode, we are going to travel to beautiful wine regions, selecting three wines that define each area.

>> And present them to local chefs, who will be challenged to prepare amazing dishes for those wines instead of the other way around.

>> Will the chefs succeed in making dishes that match the wines?

>> It all remains to be seen as we put... >> Wine first.

♪ >> We are in Santiago, the Chilean capital of one of the world's most interesting wine-producing nations.

This exciting city is our starting point to discover fertile valleys with wineries and vineyards nestled between the Andes and the Pacific Coast.

Beautiful landscapes make Chilean wine country very attractive and sustainable, as we are about to discover on our journey to find three wines that we're going to challenge Chef Alvaro Romero to cook for.

>> Are you up for a challenge?

>> Absolutely.

>> Hmm.

We'll see if his cooking will be a good match to the wines we find.

We start our search at the Odfjell Winery, a short drive from Santiago.

>> We are on our way to a winery which is all about sustainability.

>> And I hear we are going to get our hands dirty.

>> I like the sound of that.

Back in the 1980s, Norwegian ship owner Dan Odfjell discovered the Maipo Valley, where he fell in love with the beautiful scenery and the gorgeous dry climate.

Once a fruit farm, Odfjell Vineyards is now run by his son, Daniel Odfjell.

>> Cheers.

Welcome to Odfjell Vineyards.

Nice to see you guys.

>> It's so green.

The colors are, like, so bright.

>> Yeah, it's all biodynamic principles here at the winery.

>> And you have horses here also.

We saw that.

>> Yeah.

They are Norwegian fjord horses, and we use them as part of the organic and biodynamic farming.

We use them during harvest.

>> And are you a horseman yourself?

Have you always been into horses?

>> I was on the Norwegian national team for juniors in show jumping.

>> I didn't know that.

But these horses don't jump.

>> They can, but not like my horse would.

[ Laughter ] >> I'm relieved that the horses are not that feisty, as they are our means of transportation through the vineyards to find out how the winery practices biodynamic farming.

Biodynamic wine producing is based on Rudolf Steiner's principles on sustainable wine growing.

It's about biodiversity in the vineyards, about having a healthy vineyard with lots of life, with insects, with birds, with Gabriel, the horse.

He plays a part, as well.

He eats the grass in the vineyards and he also gives back eventually.

>> Instead of having a monoculture of grapes, we want a lot of species in the vineyard.

>> Ignacia is explaining that they, as farmers, are organs of nature who interact with the plants and soil, as well as the cosmos above us.

They conduct agricultural activities in accordance with the biodynamic calendar, which is based on the cycle and the influences of the sun, the moon, and the planets.

>> Mother Nature.

>> In the center of this big sign, a female symbol is used to explain that everything is related to fertility, to give birth to the circle of life.

>> What we do here is to make all the potions that we spray on the vineyard and all the compost that make the vineyard alive.

>> Potions.

It sounds like witchcraft.

>> Yeah.

>> So, I almost feel like a sorceress making this potion, but it's actually more of a tea.

So, it is -- We've just put in some compost, which smells really fresh and not like cow manure at all.

>> After that, we're going to spray it on the soil, which is going to make it both much more healthy with a better immune system to prevent diseases.

So we don't need to spray chemicals afterwards.

>> I feel like we are the Good Witches of the Winemaking.

[ Laughter ] >> We promised to get our hands dirty and to become one with Mother Nature, so here we go.

We've made this out of compost mixed with water.

And inside each and every one of these are the dried herbs that you use in biodynamic production.

So these little vitamin pills or vitamin boosts will be buried inside these piles of manure to give the manure, or the compost, an extra boost and even more nutritions and energy when they are supposed to be spread in the vineyards.

It's about time to taste the wines produced in these biodynamic vineyards.

Maya is ready to find her first wine.

>> So, the first one is Armador, our Cabernet Sauvignon 2020.

This is from here, from Maipo Valley.

And this is coming just from here, these grapes that you are seeing right now.

>> I really see the freshness of the wine, especially if you think it's actually a Cabernet Sauvignon.

>> Yes.

>> Which could be normally quite powerful and quite tannic.

This is kind of light tannin.

So, what do you have for me now?

>> I have something very special.

This is our Orzada Carignan.

It's, like, the grape that we love the most.

Right now, Chile is recognized for Carignan, like, in the world, and the grapes are coming from vines that are more than 100 years old.

>> 100 years old.

>> Yes.

I love the old vines because they are, like, so resilient, and you have really, really nice, like, tannins.

It's more balanced than the young ones.

>> Wow.

The color of this wine is like purple, almost.

Like, bloody and -- >> Yes.

It has something like that.

>> I enjoy it.

>> I'm happy to hear that.

>> While Maya is tasting her way through the wines, Yolanda has discovered an orchard.

Will she find her ingredient here?

>> I have one special one I would like to show you.

It's the ajo chilote.

Here we go.

>> Let's give it a try.

Ooh!

>> Shall I try, too?

>> Mmm!

Spicy, right?

>> Spicy, but it's not as sharp as a regular -- >> As a regular garlic.

I can imagine already so many dishes I would love to cook with this.

So let's see if the chef actually has the same opinion.

>> We got the ingredient.

Now what about the wine, Maya?

>> Okay, so, this is our last wine.

This is Aliara.

This is our premium wine.

This is very interesting, because you have seven varieties in this blend -- Carignan, cabernet sauvignon, syrah, malbec, Carmenère, tannat, and tempranillo.

>> So I can find both a little bit of the flavors from the cabernet sauvignon and the Carignan, still the dark fruits and the fresh acidities.

I think that's something I pick up in all of your wines.

>> That's what we are looking for is, like, our spine in the wines.

>> But, actually, I think I made up my mind already.

I'm going to pick Aliara.

>> Oh, great.

>> And I would love to see what the chef is going to make with this wine, because, still, even if it has a lot of flavor and taste, it's elegant, and I really hope that he's not going to cover it.

The wine needs to speak for itself.

>> Cheers.

>> Cheers.

>> We have our first wine and ingredient, and it's time to find our next combo.

We're on our way to a winery that aims to convey the spirit of the New World.

>> Mmm!

That sounds amazing.

But I wonder what that really means.

>> I think it means it's a great place to find our next wine.

>> Let's do it.

In the wine world, we separate between the New World and the Old World.

In the New World we find Chile, Argentina, U.S., South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand.

And the Old World is consists, normally, Europe.

The New World wines are normally more aromatic, it has a little bit more fruitiness to the wine, and the acidity and the tannins could be a little bit more mellow.

This is because, normally, we have stronger sun and much more sun in these areas.

>> To find our New World wine, we arrive at the Cono Sur Winery.

>> Hello, there.

>> Hi, guys.

>> Hi!

>> Thank you for having us.

>> Pleasure.

>> Thank you for coming.

>> This house -- I guess it has an amazing history?

>> Yes.

This house has over 100 years, and it was already here when Cono Sur was founded.

>> Our history in Pinot Noir was started here.

>> The oldest Pinot Noir vineyards.

I really want to see more of that.

>> Come on.

>> Cono Sur is focused on producing wine in a sustainable way, and they do that in large part with the help of these guys.

[ Squawking ] While Matías and I are escorted by a flock into the vineyards, Yolanda and Stéphanie are joined by a bunch in the garden.

>> I love the geese.

My God!

They are so cute!

And they move all together like a great team, right?

>> Yes.

They're our best workers here.

>> Okay.

So, what do they do?

Do they work in the vineyards?

>> Yes.

We have this sustainability philosophy, and we use the geese for natural pest control.

>> So they eat all the little insects and everything that could actually harm the vineyard, right?

>> Yes.

There is a particular insect that's named burrito.

>> Burrito?!

What is a burrito?

>> Burrito is not Mexican food.

Burrito is a big insect.

They arrive in, like, babies from the soil, and they can have a big damage, especially in the first part of the springtime.

Burrito is a really good dish for the geese.

>> So, basically, people eat Mexican burritos, and geese, they eat insect burritos.

>> Absolutely.

Good conclusion.

>> I love it.

But I also see that you are using this special way of giving the plants water.

It's drip irrigation.

>> It's more sustainability, it's more efficient, more comfortable for the vineyards.

>> So, what this does is that the plant actually gets water and it gets like, "Yes!"

And then it works even harder to kind of keep the water.

>> Absolutely.

>> Well, all this talk about water makes me thirsty.

>> Look at that.

>> And the wine magically appears.

This is a sauvignon blanc.

>> This is sauvignon blanc organic, eh?

>> Okay.

Good.

>> Coming from two big estates for us.

>> It's a blend, but it's just a blend of the same grape variety from different places.

>> Two different places.

>> So, this sauvignon blanc -- it's aromatic, but it's not too aromatic.

I find it has a very nice balance between fruit, a little bit of white flowers, some citrus.

Well, cheers.

>> Cheers.

>> While I enjoy my sauvignon blanc, Yolanda has found an orchard on the estate where strawberries seem to be the star of the crop.

>> The sweetness, the acidity.

>> To balance out the acidity, Stéphanie has whipped up a delicious local dessert to go along with the strawberries, and it seems like it's a hit.

>> Mmm!

[ Laughs ] Do I have a mustache?

>> Yes, you have it.

>> Hey!

Tomatoes!

>> Beautiful tomatoes.

>> Mmm!

>> Uno, dos, tres.

Mmm!

>> They taste really good.

>> Mm-hmm.

Mm-hmm.

I love the strawberries.

I think they're fantastic.

Their balance between acidity and sugar is perfect.

But at the same time, these luscious tomatoes.

Tomato have a lot of umami, and they can be a little bit challenging -- right?

-- at the moment to pair them with the wine, because umami can be tricky in the mouth when you have a sip of wine, right?

Because umami change your taste buds in the moment.

So I'm curious to see what the chef does with this amazing fruit, actually.

>> Cheers.

>> We have the ingredient.

Now let's find the wine.

>> It's a Pinot Noir 20 Barrels for you.

>> Yes!

Very cool.

Oh.

[ Sniffs ] This smells like Pinot Noir, yes, absolutely.

>> And, remember, when we speak about Pinot Noir, the Chilean Pinot Noir, it's intensity, it's a deep color, but we try to follow the elegance, the delicate.

>> So, Pinot Noir is all about fruit and fruit-forwardness.

There's a lot of red berries.

There's a lot of lush fruit.

There's some earthy note.

And then, because of the barrel aging, you get a little bit of those spices and wood notes, as well.

Gives a little bit more structure to the wine.

>> We have another Pinot Noir.

>> Yes!

>> But our Icon Pinot Noir.

>> Okay.

>> The first Icon Pinot Noir from Chile.

But all of the process here is by hand.

>> So this is more of a craft wine, basically.

>> Absolutely.

>> So, this wine has been aged both in barrels like these, but also in big casks.

>> Yes.

>> Part in these barrels, and then part in the big casks before you make the final blend.

>> Absolutely.

>> But it smells so different than the other Pinot Noir.

>> It's more fresh.

It's more red.

It's more long.

>> Exactly.

It's more concentrated.

It smells more.

There's more of everything.

Even though I love all of them, I have to make a decision.

I have to bring one of these three wines to the chef.

>> [ Imitates drumroll ] >> This one.

>> Oh!

I agree.

>> I love Pinot Noir.

I can't help it.

And even though 20 Barrels was nice, this is something else.

This is a different level.

>> Good decision.

>> Thank you for letting me try it.

We have the second combo, and it's time for some food -- finally.

Well, hello.

>> Ooh-la-la!

Gracias.

>> Cheers.

>> So, here's Francisco, a grill master.

>> Ooh-la-la!

Look at this.

>> We have been to the vineyard all day, so we're starving.

>> Mmm!

This is so juicy.

>> And it's beautifully salted.

Well, hopefully no geese, huh?

>> Huh?

[ Speaks Spanish ] >> No.

[ Squawking ] [ Laughter ] >> It's time for a break from vineyards, and so we hit the town to explore fabulous Santiago.

Exciting people, delicious pisco sours, fun street fairs, beautiful views.

>> Tres, dos, uno.

[ Whistle blows ] ♪ >> To find our third and final wine, we head to the foothills of the mighty Andes.

Here, we meet Paola and Gabriel at the San Pedro Cachapoal Andes Winery.

Sustainability and biodiversity is key to the winery.

Maya and I head down to the oldest vineyards with Gabriel, where they harvest their main grape, the cabernet sauvignon, which I can't wait to taste.

And there are many advantages of growing grapes at a high altitude.

>> When we are in hot countries like Chile, we can actually use the altitude of the mountains to get a cooler climate and more freshness and acidity to the wines.

Right now, I'm standing in a vineyard which is 500 meters above sea level.

If we instead look down to the valley, there is hotter climate, and the alcohol level is going to be a little bit higher and the acidity a little bit less.

>> Yolanda is introduced to delicious local dishes with popular ingredients in the area.

>> This is a cherry juice?

>> This is a gazpacho with cherry.

>> Oh.

Oh.

Mmm!

Sorry.

I couldn't wait.

So, just, you know, this is not the typical gazpacho color, so I'm guessing the cherries are in the gazpacho.

>> Yes, of course.

>> And you have cherry trees around here, as well, right?

>> Yes.

The cherries are really big here in the zone, too.

>> Mm-hmm.

>> As you can see, they're huge.

>> I understand why.

>> Yeah.

>> They are delicious.

I'm sorry.

I'm just going to be a little bit rustic, but I need to drink like this.

>> Yes.

>> Shall we?

>> Yep.

>> Sí.

Salud.

>> Salud.

>> While Yolanda is enjoying her gazpacho in the sun, we head into the impressive main building.

There is art and design everywhere.

As we enter the production area, it's like we're in a science-fiction movie.

Very fitting, as Maya is dressed like a cross between Princess Leia and a scientist.

Very futuristic and modern.

Gabriel tells us about lowering 16-ton concrete tanks through the roof of the building, which houses about 24 tanks.

It's big, and we feel small walking among these huge vats.

Our stroll leads us straight to a funny-looking creature and our very first tasting at the winery.

[ Laughs ] This must be the love child of BB-8 and R2-D2.

Meep meep meep meep meep meep meep meep meep meep meep meep!

>> Oh, you're so cute when you do that.

>> And you look like Princess Leia.

And you obviously -- you are Luke Skywalker.

>> Ah!

Thank you.

I love it.

This is, like, the final touch.

>> Our new friend contains Sideral, a blend of all the grape varieties from the property -- shiraz, cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, petit verdot, and Carmenère.

Herbaceous, fresh, and a nice punch of tannins.

Aromas like these take me to a galaxy far, far away.

>> Okay.

Earth is calling, so let's try another wine.

[ Laughter ] >> Okay.

Meanwhile, on another planet... >> Mmm!

These cherries were magnificent.

They're very sweet.

And sometimes sweetness, especially at this level, can be a little bit tricky with the wine.

>> Mm-hmm.

>> And I like to see how the chef manages to make a dish that pairs well the wine and does not make it taste bitter.

We have an ingredient.

Salud.

>> Salud.

>> The ingredient is settled.

It's time to taste some more wines and make a decision.

>> So, our next wine is Altair.

Here is very gentle wine.

Explosion of aromas.

And in the palate, it's very, like, delicate at the beginning, and keep it in the mouth, and so it's a very long wine.

So this is like the brightest star.

>> It's very silky.

Just... >> Mmm!

I find a touch of floral notes on the on the nose, as well.

>> Nice balance between the very dark fruit and the lighter redder fruit, as well.

I think we're ready for number three.

>> It's the Cabo de Hornos.

>> Hornos.

>> Yeah.

And this have a lot of character, and it's 100% cabernet sauvignon.

>> Okay, so now it's one variety.

>> Exactly.

>> Okay.

>> So, here, can you feel the grape variety?

>> Mm.

>> It's only one to choose from.

>> The tannins are much more in this wine.

>> You get very, very dry.

>> You need to, like, loosen your lip like this.

This is a food wine.

>> Oh, yeah.

>> We have to make a decision, Maya.

>> Actually, I really like the nose on the Altair, but I think the other -- the first wine we try, Sideral.

>> To me also, the Sideral, the herbaceousness -- I loved it.

>> Sideral it is.

>> Great.

Good choice.

>> It's settled.

We have our three wines and ingredients.

After a tough day of tasting wine and food, it's time for a nap.

I think the altitude must be getting to us.

It's time to head back to Santiago and start the tasting ceremony, where chef Alvaro Romero is challenged to match dishes to each of the chosen wines.

Let the games begin.

We start off with Aliara, and the chosen ingredient was garlic.

>> We're going to make a black-garlic-onion puree.

The puree is made and mixed.

We're going to make a salty meringue.

Normally here in La Mesa, we try to treat the vegetable like an animal protein, okay?

So, for example, if we want to make, like, a salty -- the fish in salt -- yeah?

-- like, normally, the European guys do, we're going to make the onion in the same process, okay?

So we concentrate the flavors.

>> So the garlic is treated like meat to match the intensity of the wine.

>> So, the worst-case scenario -- what's that?

>> The worst would be that the garlic is, like, too, too strong in the food.

So when you taste it, taste the wine and the food, the garlic would be just -- would be too much.

>> Cheers.

>> Salud.

>> So the question is, will the garlic be too dominant and compete with the wine?

>> Okay, so, the worst fear was that it was supposed to be too much garlic.

This is a lot of garlic.

>> It's a lot, but you don't feel it that much, you know?

I was expecting also the sweetness in the sauce, so I am, like, a little bit surprised with that.

>> Yes.

>> But it's interesting.

>> Hmm.

Interesting and ambivalent.

The next wine is the... >> Ocio, Pinot Noir from Cono Sur.

You and I both know that those two, particularly from the tomatoes, are quite challenging for some wines, right?

>> Yeah, yeah, yeah.

>> Okay.

>> For the acidity of the pH of the same vegetables.

So we have different tomato -- cherry ones, green zebra.

We're going to make a jelly of the tomatoes.

They are confit in olive oil, garlic, rosemary.

Other one, we're going to make the jelly.

And, also, we're going to make an aguachile, okay?

We're going to put this fresh flavor, liquid -- It's like a cold soup, like a gazpacho, but take out all the fibers of the vegetable, okay?

>> And just keep the juice.

>> Just the juice.

>> Oh, that's super-clear.

>> Yeah.

>> I wouldn't expect that this would be this clear out of tomatoes.

>> Yeah.

>> Like, I think you are being very smart at the time of kind of processing the tomatoes to not have them raw as they come.

>> Yeah.

>> Right?

>> Wow.

Tomatoes are challenging, eh?

But you need to manage the acidity with the tomato.

If you have a good combination with another element, tomato should be great with with Pinot Noir.

Salud.

>> Okay, so, it's all about managing the acidity.

Will Alvaro manage the challenge?

So, tomato -- you were a little bit worried.

But there's a lot of tomato.

>> There's a lot of different kind of tomato.

>> Exactly.

>> The balance between the sour, the sweetness, and the freshness is really interesting with the wine.

>> Yeah, I want to taste a little bit more before I make up my mind here.

>> I follow you.

>> Let's hope the balance is intact.

It remains to be seen.

We have arrived at the last combo.

>> So, now with the third challenge, Sideral from Bodega San Pedro, a red blend.

>> Yeah.

>> And the ingredient I chose was... >> Cherries.

>> Cherries.

>> Yeah.

>> Yes.

So, what are you going to prepare for us?

>> Well, it's going to be quail.

>> Chef Alvaro cooks the quail sous vide, then fries it briefly in the pan, and cooks it in the oven before he lays the meat on top of a puree made of beetroot and cherry, as well as an almond puree.

Last but not least, fresh cherries are added to the dish.

>> I'm just a little bit concerned about the sugar content of the dish.

>> Do you ever use cherries together with the wine?

>> Not really, huh?

It's not easy because you have the sugar and some acidity and it's fresh.

>> A tricky combo.

The sugar content of ripe cherries can overpower a wine.

So let's hope Alvaro gets the acidity and sweetness under control.

>> So, were you expecting to have cherries with it?

>> Oof!

It's a lot of complexity here.

Now I'm tasting everything together, trying to evaluate everything, but it's a mix of flavors.

>> A mix of flavors indeed.

The wines and the meals have been consumed, and it's time for the verdict.

We start off with Francisco.

>> I think we were all a bit scared about thinking just garlic as an ingredient and wine together.

That's not very easy to do.

But then you taste it, you try it, and you can feel the flavor.

It was so well-integrated.

It matched so well with the wine at the end.

>> Cheers.

>> So, Matías, what did you think about the match between the Ocio and the tomatoes?

>> Honestly, when I received my dish, it's a surprise.

Where is the salmon?

Where's the duck?

Go ahead, start to taste.

Match of them.

I tried to make my best effort to make a great wine, but you're an artist.

>> This was a pure joy.

Thank you.

>> Thank you.

>> So, Gabriel, last but not least, what do you think about the quail dish with your wine?

>> I expect, like, meat with a lot of fat, because the cabernets have some tannins.

But then with the skin of the quail and with the complexity of the sauces of the cherries, it makes something really special and really fit with the complexity of the wine.

>> The flavor was the cherry flavor without having the candy flavor, and I really love that.

Applause for our chef?

Yay!

>> Thank you very much.

>> Good work.

>> Cheers.

>> Cheers.

>> Salud.

>> Cheers!

>> We have our verdicts, and so we conclude our magical trip to wineries and vineyards producing unique wines while focusing on sustainability and the importance of existing in harmony with nature.

Cheers.

[ Glasses clink ] >> For more inspiration, visit us at winefirsttv.com.

>> Funding for this series has been provided in part by the following... ♪ ♪ >> ♪ No, take me home ♪ >> Vgan chocolate, Norwegian flavor, available in Walmart stores.

♪ ♪ ♪ [ Wind blowing ]