The Chilean bet of the Spanish winery Félix Solís Avantis

Félix Solís Avantis Winery started their Chilean few weeks ago with a first production that will be bottled in the coming months. They invested 45 million euros in a winery in the Cachapoal valley and is thinking about trying Spanish classics such as the Albariño strain. “It would be advisable for the country to raise the average price per liter exported,” says the company’s CEO, Félix Solís Yáñez, about Chile.

“The Chilean winery is part of this international expansion plan and is one of our most emblematic projects,” Félix Solís Yáñez, CEO of the Spanish winery Félix Solís Avantis, explains to Pulso Newspaper.

“With this, the spanish company will be able to offer wines from both hemispheres all year round. «Our winery, Viña Casa Solís, has the capacity to store more than 30 million liters and the entire process will be carried out there, from the production of the wines, with grapes from the winegrowers, to their bottling,»

The winery will operate with a business model similar to the one the firm uses in its country, which includes the purchase of grapes from local winegrowers. They will produce chardonnay and sauvignon blanc (whites), in addition to the red wines merlot, cabernet sauvignon and carménère. “Malbec and Syrah are also being tested,” explains Solís. “The Cachapoal Valley is an area with optimal conditions so that almost any variety can grow successfully,” he maintains, and anticipates that they are even thinking about trying new interesting varieties, including Spanish classics such as Albariño, one of the icons of the Iberian industry and that is cultivated especially in Galicia.

The objective of the firm, which manages vineyards in the most important designation of origin areas of the Spanish wine industry (Rioja, Ribera del Duero, Rueda, Valdepeñas, La Mancha and Toro), seeks to take advantage of its distribution network in 135 countries. To market the wines produced in its Chilean territories throughout the world, “in addition to helping to differentiate Chilean wines from the rest of South America,” says Solís.

“Emblematic” project

The Félix Solís house is a global brand, whose Viña Albali brand is one of the best known in the world, with sales of more than 2 million cases. The firm itself declares internationalization as one of its fundamental pillars and is considered a pioneer in the Spanish wine sector in this area. They began exporting in the 60s, but it was in the 90s when they went abroad. Its exports already represent 65% of its annual turnover. “The Chilean winery is part of this international expansion plan and is one of our most emblematic projects,” Solís responds in writing to Pulso Newspaper.

The firm’s other emblematic project is being developed in Spain: the construction of a new aging winery in Valdepeñas, completely automated, a pioneer in the world, with capacity for 130,000 barrels. “We have already allocated 70 million euros of investment,” highlights Solís. In 1998, it was one of the first in Spain to establish itself in China, with a bottling plant.

andes@andeswines.com