Carmenére – Chile’s Unique Grape
http://californiawineandfood.com/articles/305/1/CarmenAre-a-Chileas-Unique-Grape/Page1.html
CWF Sources
By CWF Sources
Published on 01/18/2007
We (my wife and I) recently had the opportunity to vacation in Chile and, of course, explore their fine wines. The trip was fascinating for a number of reasons, not the least being my first introduction to...
Carmenére – Chile’s Unique Grape
By Steven Tincher
We (my wife and I) recently had the opportunity to vacation in Chile and, of course, explore their fine wines. The trip was fascinating for a number of reasons, not the least being my first introduction to a grape which the Chileans claim has become extinct in France and remained “undiscovered” in their own vineyards for many years.
Garden and carmenere grapes at Errazuriz in Chile.
The Chileans tell the story of the Carmenére grape as one that originally came from Bordeaux. The French vines were subsequently wiped out by phyloxera, a disease which doesn’t exist in Chile. The variety was thought to be extinct. In Chile it was mistaken for a Merlot grape for many years. About 15 years ago Carmenére was rediscovered and cultivated for its own merits, which are very different from Merlot. Chile now claims to have the oldest Carmenére vines in production and is starting to re-export vines to France.
Most of Chile’s red wines are produced in the area adjacent to and south of Santiago but there are some valleys north of the capital which specialize in reds. The winemakers there talk about the combination of sea breezes and colder winds coming down from the Andes influencing the quality of the grape. Attempting to explore a little off the beaten path we traveled north on a fine, almost empty highway to the Aconcagua Valley, staying in the city of Los Andes. Exploring from there involved country roads with dramatic mountains on every side cutting the sky.
The wineries in the area are a bit hit-and-miss for the individual tourist, catering more to the organized tour. In one example the greeting at the San Esteban winery was nothing short of rude. Although the owner was very gracious the server announced that the last tour had been enough for the day and although we were invited to taste a rather substandard table wine otherwise we would have to purchase “sight unseen” if we were interested. We didn’t.
At the other extreme, the Errázuriz vineyard (www.errazuriz.com) near the town of Panquehue was exceptionally warm and friendly. Set in a lovely valley their huge (capacity of at least 100) tasting room featured an extensive line of unique wines. We didn’t try their entire line due to the fact that we would have to drive back, but we did sample several of their collection. They are exceptionally proud of their “Wild Ferment Chardonnay,” produced with only the natural yeasts found on the grapes. This was a surprisingly mature Chardonnay, starting sweet and a little light but rounding out to a more full bodied richness. I must admit that I found their Shiraz unremarkable, but perhaps I’m showing my preference for more full-blooded reds.
Finally we got to the purpose of our visit, their 2004 Single Vineyard Carmenére. Planted in 1992 their Don Maximiano Estate was first put into production in 1998. This is a rich red, slightly tannic, hearty without being overbearing and a hint of spice. It immediately brought to mind leg of lamb. All in all a very satisfying red and hardly a Merlot! The truly unfortunate thing is that it is not yet exported to the U.S., although it is available in the U.K. and Canada.
On our further travels we encountered several other examples of Carmenére, all delightful. Carmenére is also blended, for example with Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc (www.santarita.com/VentaNet/asp/pagDefault.asp) to reduce the tannic quality while adding a hint of fruit to the bouquet.
Finally a few words on travel in Chile. I have traveled and lived in Latin America but never experienced a Latin American country quite like Chile. In many ways the capital, Santiago, feels like Los Angeles with a better transportation system. The dress seemed comparatively casual, the people are friendly and gracious, well educated and healthy. There were far less beggars then I have come to expect in most U.S. cities. The water is clean and drinkable and the produce exceptional. Of course, I should have expected the produce to be of the highest quality given the amount exported to the U.S. in our winter, but none-the-less it was nice to be able to enjoy a fresh salad at even the most basic of restaurants without health concerns. There are high quality internet cafes in even the more remote locations with prices ranging from US$1-2 per hour.
We were pleasantly surprised at the affordability of Chilean wines in the restaurants there. We found consistently that a fine bottle of local wine with dinner would rarely cost more then US$20. In general we found that Chile is affordable, beautiful, friendly and a treat for tasting unique, quality wines. As a footnote their beers aren’t bad either and I especially enjoyed the Valbier (www.valb ier.cl) found in the Patagonia region, but that’s another story.
We (my wife and I) recently had the opportunity to vacation in Chile and, of course, explore their fine wines. The trip was fascinating for a number of reasons, not the least being my first introduction to a grape which the Chileans claim has become extinct in France and remained “undiscovered” in their own vineyards for many years.
Garden and carmenere grapes at Errazuriz in Chile.
The Chileans tell the story of the Carmenére grape as one that originally came from Bordeaux. The French vines were subsequently wiped out by phyloxera, a disease which doesn’t exist in Chile. The variety was thought to be extinct. In Chile it was mistaken for a Merlot grape for many years. About 15 years ago Carmenére was rediscovered and cultivated for its own merits, which are very different from Merlot. Chile now claims to have the oldest Carmenére vines in production and is starting to re-export vines to France.
Most of Chile’s red wines are produced in the area adjacent to and south of Santiago but there are some valleys north of the capital which specialize in reds. The winemakers there talk about the combination of sea breezes and colder winds coming down from the Andes influencing the quality of the grape. Attempting to explore a little off the beaten path we traveled north on a fine, almost empty highway to the Aconcagua Valley, staying in the city of Los Andes. Exploring from there involved country roads with dramatic mountains on every side cutting the sky.
The wineries in the area are a bit hit-and-miss for the individual tourist, catering more to the organized tour. In one example the greeting at the San Esteban winery was nothing short of rude. Although the owner was very gracious the server announced that the last tour had been enough for the day and although we were invited to taste a rather substandard table wine otherwise we would have to purchase “sight unseen” if we were interested. We didn’t.
At the other extreme, the Errázuriz vineyard (www.errazuriz.com) near the town of Panquehue was exceptionally warm and friendly. Set in a lovely valley their huge (capacity of at least 100) tasting room featured an extensive line of unique wines. We didn’t try their entire line due to the fact that we would have to drive back, but we did sample several of their collection. They are exceptionally proud of their “Wild Ferment Chardonnay,” produced with only the natural yeasts found on the grapes. This was a surprisingly mature Chardonnay, starting sweet and a little light but rounding out to a more full bodied richness. I must admit that I found their Shiraz unremarkable, but perhaps I’m showing my preference for more full-blooded reds.
Finally we got to the purpose of our visit, their 2004 Single Vineyard Carmenére. Planted in 1992 their Don Maximiano Estate was first put into production in 1998. This is a rich red, slightly tannic, hearty without being overbearing and a hint of spice. It immediately brought to mind leg of lamb. All in all a very satisfying red and hardly a Merlot! The truly unfortunate thing is that it is not yet exported to the U.S., although it is available in the U.K. and Canada.
On our further travels we encountered several other examples of Carmenére, all delightful. Carmenére is also blended, for example with Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc (www.santarita.com/VentaNet/asp/pagDefault.asp) to reduce the tannic quality while adding a hint of fruit to the bouquet.
Finally a few words on travel in Chile. I have traveled and lived in Latin America but never experienced a Latin American country quite like Chile. In many ways the capital, Santiago, feels like Los Angeles with a better transportation system. The dress seemed comparatively casual, the people are friendly and gracious, well educated and healthy. There were far less beggars then I have come to expect in most U.S. cities. The water is clean and drinkable and the produce exceptional. Of course, I should have expected the produce to be of the highest quality given the amount exported to the U.S. in our winter, but none-the-less it was nice to be able to enjoy a fresh salad at even the most basic of restaurants without health concerns. There are high quality internet cafes in even the more remote locations with prices ranging from US$1-2 per hour.
We were pleasantly surprised at the affordability of Chilean wines in the restaurants there. We found consistently that a fine bottle of local wine with dinner would rarely cost more then US$20. In general we found that Chile is affordable, beautiful, friendly and a treat for tasting unique, quality wines. As a footnote their beers aren’t bad either and I especially enjoyed the Valbier (www.valb ier.cl) found in the Patagonia region, but that’s another story.