Friday, October 17, 2008

New Avenues for my Chilean Knowledge Quest...

Wanted: a wine enthusiast in Chile who speaks English

I keep seeing the wine...Carménère...I bought a nice bottle this week (five dollars) and look forward to sampling it this week. I'm hoping to research more about the wines of Chile, especially before I travel South this summer/December. I'm open to any and all suggestions of how I can learn the most via the web or other resources!

Excerpt from http://www.winesofchile.org/...

Chile's signature grape Carménère appeared during this process of vineyard renovation. The world was aware that Chile's Merlot was unique, and local growers were certain that not all of the vines were the same, but it wasn't until 1994 that French ampelographer Jean Michel Boursiquo t finally attached a name to the variant variety: Carménère, a red variety from France that arrived in Chile prior to the phylloxera crisis. Because the late-ripening variety is difficult to manage in cool climates and highly susceptible to phylloxera, it was never replanted in its native Bordeaux and had long been forgotten until its rediscovery in Chile. Since that time, extensive work has been done to separate the two varieties and treat each according to its own specific requirements, resulting in major style changes in both.

2 comments:

Meri said...

I bought an incredible Carmenere last weekend for $8 at Trader Joes. It was from a Vineyard called "Cono Sur" (a play on words) from a the region in Chile directly south from Santiago. And for $8 it was like breathing the air and tasting the soil of Chile... took me back!

Cat said...

that is awesome! i thought the brand cono sur looked familiar! i think i had the same bottle last week! i will try to map out where the vineyard is. how is dc?!