Sven Bruchfeld

Sven Bruchfeld's Story

" I was sort of lost in life… Back in the 90’s I was studying agricultural sciences in Chile. My major was windsurfing and rock climbing in the summer, skiing in the winter. Actually studies were not exactly my biggest motivation nor priority.I needed a new sail and didn’t have enough money so I got this job as a waiter in a Restaurant in Santiago. I knew nothing about wine. A customer asked for a “Chardonnay” and oops… That brand was not on the list. I went to the bar and the bartender explained it to be a variety. Actually white. Interesting. I felt a bit ashamed as I was actually studying agronomy and should have known that. I used the rest of the summer to learn as much as possible at the restaurant and finding food & wine matching simply fascinating. As I went back to school I had decided to specialize in Oenology, although there were still a few years until that and besides that… I wasn’t done with my windsurfing, skiing and climbing yet.

 In 1995 I sort of liked this girl and she was applying for an exchange programme at the University of California in Davis. Things didn’t work out with her and by the time the trip was starting I had actually met the woman that is now my wife. I arrived in Davis with only one thing in mind: How to spend the rest of my life climbing, but… it was now time to do some studying for once. Davis is not one of the best universities of the world for nothing. All those scientists I had read about were all there… I had started to work on my thesis (dissertation) in Chile and wanted to finish it in California. I just selected a name that sounded familiar and knocked on his door: Roger Boulton. Roger is from Australia and has written several books and papers. I asked him if he would have time to chat for a minute or two as I wanted to know his opinion on the work I was doing with my thesis. It was about colour and Pinot Noir. He looks at me and said: “Why do you want to do something that has been done hundreds of times and the answer has always been the same?” He continued talking and explaining his theories on colour of wine for two hours. By the time he was finished he looked at me with tears in his eyes. “I want to feel that passion too”, I thought. I never understood why Roger spent two hours talking to me but it was certainly an enlightening moment. I bought myself a white coat and used all my spare time to work as Roger’s lab assistant. All I knew, was that it was time to finally grow up and that I wanted to become a winemaker.

 Starting this Polkura project is probably craziest thing I have done for my love of wine. We started from nothing. We bought a neglected property in Marchigue having very little money. We had to find water and plant everything. My friends think I am stupid when I tell them that reaching “break even” never takes less than 10 years in this industry. And later they ask why I didn’t choose an easier place to start with. I had a very good job as a winemaker and a fixed salary at the end of the month but now I am happy (and spending my savings… )

 My finest moments so far would have to be first when I had finished planting our Polkura Hill. That was hell of a party we threw! The next when I was sitting in a restaurant and I saw my wine on the list for the first time (I didn´t know previously, as it was sold by a distributor) Putting wine into barrels every year is just a great feeling. Most of all though, my proudest moments have to be when my children (9, 6 and 3) walk in the vineyard with me telling me the grapes are not ripe yet… I love it!!!"