Cantor (Luis Felipe Edwards) Hitting a High Note for Chile
Luis Felipe Edwards (LFE) has long been synonymous with producing high-quality wines from Chile’s Central Valley — they are pioneers who, since their founding in 1976, have helped put this region on the fine wine map. They are the largest family-owned and managed winery in Chile, producing world-class wines in their state-of-the-art production facilities. LFE has been recognized on the world stage as one of the best New World and Chilean wine producers, with dozens of accolades from some of the most prestigious wine competitions and critics around the world. These include “Best Producer” at Mundus Vini, “New World Producer of the Year” at the Sommelier Wine Awards, and “Chilean Producer of the Year” at the AWC Vienna wine competition three years in a row — just to name a few.
LFE’s premium Cantor wines were inspired by the Colchagua Valley’s numerous indigenous songbirds, whose beautiful music emanates from the trees above the estate’s vineyards. (“Cantor” is the Spanish word meaning “to sing.”)
The vineyards are, of course, where good wine begins. LFE has prime vineyards on more than 2,000 hectares / 4,942 acres in multiple regions including Colchagua (where they have planted vines as high as 1,000 meters / 3,300 feet above sea level), the cool and coastal Leyda Valley (which yields vibrant, aromatic grapes), and the Maule Valley (one of Chile’s oldest viticultural regions). The talented viticulture and enology team that brings Cantor to life includes Eugenio Cox, agricultural director, and Nicolas Bizzarri, chief winemaker. LFE also works with renowned winemaking consultants Matt Thompson and Philippe Melka.
The Cantor winery is officially a Certified Sustainable Winery of Chile and is one of only a few in Latin America to achieve an AA+ score on their audit. Thanks to their sustainable farming of the vineyards, wireless irrigation control, and other eco-friendly winemaking practices, every bottle of Cantor is crafted both mindfully and sustainably — the perfect representation of the superb quality wines from Chile offer.
Cantor (Luis Felipe Edwards) Highlights
Cantor is a premium wine offered exclusively in a 1.5L format.
All Cantor wines are vegan.
The back label for all Cantor wines includes an image of a different type of songbird.
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Founded
1976 -
Location
Colchagua Valley, Chile
Central Valley: A Vine-Growing Paradise
Chile is the narrowest country in the world — but it’s as long as the United States is wide. Within this stretch of terrain is the Central Valley, the country’s largest wine-producing region with vineyards that date to Colonial-era conquistadors. The influence of both the Andes Mountains and the Pacific Ocean creates outstanding growing conditions and helps keep the region naturally pest/malady free.
The Terroir of the Central Valley
The Central Valley boasts a network of varied terroirs that allows a wide variety of grapes to thrive on the land. Luis Felipe Edwards has prime vineyards on more than 2,000 hectares/4,942 acres in the valley’s trio of premier subregions: Colchagua Valley, Leyda Valley, and Maule Valley.
Most of LFE’s vineyards are in Colchagua, with the valley providing a perfect microclimate for high-quality viticulture. The semi-arid soils and little risk of frost make for the perfect growing conditions for cabernet sauvignon and other red varieties. The Leyda Valley provides a cool, coastal climate that lends itself to dry summers and mild winters, creating an ideal environment for growing super premium Bordeaux varieties like sauvignon blanc — one of the single-variety wines within the Cantor portfolio. The historic viticultural region of the Maule Valley is the southernmost and lays claim to having Chile’s greatest area under vine on largely volcanic soils. Across each of these diverse subregions, the LFE team cherry pick the very best grapes from their top plots and use them for the blends comprising Cantor.
Where Innovation Takes Flight
In the vineyards, machinery is constantly updated for maximum efficiency and to increase quality control. A wireless irrigation control system is in place to ensure the right amount of water is utilized daily, optimizing growth and sustainability efforts.
Inside the winery itself, new technology allows for gentler stabilization. From a new filtration system that’s used to gather more juice from the pressing process to the state-of-the-art bottling line that allows for 17,000 bottles per hour (complete with LOGILOOK label quality control equipment on all bottling lines). Aging taking place in a mix between French and American oak, as well as in stainless steel tanks
Birds of a Feather …
Like a flock of songbirds, the LFE family work together as active leaders handling day-to-day operations at Cantor. Founder Luis Felipe Edwards Sr. oversees all aspects of the winery while his two sons, Luis Felipe Jr. and Ignacio, share global sales and marketing responsibilities. His daughter, Bernadita, manages all production, and his sons-in-law, Nicolas Bizzarri and Eugenio Cox, are the director of winemaking and vineyard director, respectively.
Singing a Song of Sustainability
The consistently high quality of Cantor wines and the Edwards’ family values are mirrored in each bottle. Paramount to the winery is maintaining their commitment to sustainability. The Cantor winery has been certified as a Certified Sustainable Winery of Chile. With their organic vineyards, wireless irrigation control, and other eco-friendly winemaking practices, you can be certain that every bottle of Cantor wines is crafted both mindfully and sustainably.
