Reframing a Relic

By Kate Newton · Photos courtesy of Vineyard Brands

Spread across Chile by Spanish missionaries beginning in the 16th century, roundly dismissed as a relic suited solely to bulk wine in the 20th, and thrust back into the winemaking zeitgeist in the 21st due in part to its resilience in the face of climate change: Such is the story of País, aka Listán Prieto and Mission, which dominated the vineyards of small-scale farmers long before the arrival of Bordeaux grapes.