VIK Milla Cala

Producer history

Viña VIK was created by Norwegian-born Alexander Vik and his wife Carrie Vik, who acquired roughly 4,300 hectares in the Millahue valley of Chile's Cachapoal Valley. The producer's own site dates the founding to 2004 with the stated goal of making one of the world's best wines, while other accounts place the land acquisition in 2006. Over 327 hectares were planted to vine across a property containing twelve valleys, each with its own microclimate and exposure, cooled by Pacific breezes and winds off the Andes. Millahue was known to the Mapuche as 'Lugar de Oro', or Golden Place. Cristian Vallejo is chief winemaker, overseeing both viticulture and winemaking, with hand harvesting and fermentation by native yeasts, and ageing in a mix of new and used French oak. The cellar was designed by Chilean architect Smiljan Radic, winner of a 2007 international competition, and is roofed in a distinctive white fabric canopy intended to limit its visual impact on the landscape. Milla Cala sits alongside VIK, La Piu Belle and La Piu Belle Rosé in the house range.

Signature pairings

• Grilled ribeye with chimichurri — The wine's Cabernet-led tannin and 18-20 months of French oak stand up to charred beef fat, while chimichurri's parsley and garlic echo the savoury, herbal edge Carmenere brings to the blend.
• Northern Thai grilled pork neck with jaew dipping sauce (คอหมูย่างน้ำจิ้มแจ่ว) — Charcoal-grilled pork neck is fatty and smoky rather than fiery, and the jaew's toasted rice and tamarind meet the wine's dark fruit; the chilli here is moderate and dipped to taste, so a tannic red copes if the sauce is used sparingly.
• Aged Manchego with quince paste — The nutty salt of a hard sheep's cheese softens Cabernet tannin, and the quince picks up the wine's ripe plum register without fighting the oak.