País, J. Bouchon

Bouchon Family Wines has been farming in Chile’s Maule Valley for generations, and they’ve built their reputation on giving País — Chile’s oldest and most overlooked grape — the respect it deserves. These are old, dry-farmed, head-trained vines, some creeping toward 100 years of age, rooted in sandy-granite soils of the Maule Secano where rain is scarce and the vines struggle just enough to produce fruit of piercing character.

The Red País is a joyful reminder that rustic doesn’t mean rough. It’s light on its feet, brimming with redcurrant, wild strawberry, and a snap of cranberry, with earthy spice humming in the background. Think of it like Beaujolais’ Chilean cousin — bright, gulpable, and perfect for a long lunch. The White País flips expectations on their head: the same red grape, pressed off its skins immediately, yielding a feather-light wine that tastes of lemon zest, white peach, and sea spray. It’s País stripped of its color but not its soul — electric, mineral, and almost coastal in feel. Both are raised simply — mostly stainless steel, sometimes a brush with neutral oak — letting the raw, unpolished beauty of País shine through without distraction.

What makes these bottles so compelling isn’t just their flavor, but their history. País came to Chile in the 1500s with Spanish missionaries, and for centuries it was dismissed as little more than peasant juice. Now, thanks to producers like Bouchon, it’s enjoying a renaissance: a grape that was once nearly forgotten is now capturing imaginations around the world. Whether in its playful red guise or its crisp, ghost-pale white form, País from Bouchon is a liquid time capsule — a taste of Chile’s roots, brought fully into the present.