Joaquín Hidalgo estimates he has tasted about 1000 bottles of Carménère over the past five years. He told an assembled group of wine writers that he developed a love of the variety before he understood the grape or the wine. He went on to share some of what he has learned about Carménère with our group. Joaquín has a degree […]
The good news about these four wines just keeps on coming. All are imported into the US by González Byass USA, who sent these wines to us as tasting samples, and are part of the González Byass family of wines. That’s good news because these wines are widely available in the US and all are under $20, mostly by quite […]
The first versions of Chilean Carmenere I tasted years ago were often characterized by generous fruit flavors, dense color, chewy texture and distinctive flavors of jalapeño or green bell pepper. Those flavors of jalapeño and bell pepper were pleasing in moderation, but I found them overwhelming in many versions of the variety. Recently I was re-introduced to Chilean Carmenere from […]
Winemaking techniques and styles of wine are as varied as the terroir in which wine grapes grow and the personalities of the winemakers crafting those wines. All of that variety is one of the things that is most appealing about wine. Today’s tasting of Ventisquero Grey demonstrates that appealing variability in the most delicious way. We received both wines as […]
I’ve been doing everything I can to deny that fall is fast approaching. Warm afternoons still make me think of summer, but mornings are damp and the leaves on our birch tree are beginning to turn golden and fall to the ground. There is nothing left to do but smooth the transition into fall with delicious wine. We have a […]
Today, Chilean wine, and quality wine at that, is everywhere. It’s easy to forget that wasn’t always the case. Back in the late 1980s when Aurelio Montes and Douglas Murray founded their winery, Chile was suffering through the final years of the Pinochet dictatorship and demand for wine in Chile was flagging. Chilean wines were sold mostly in Chile at […]
With every glass of wine comes the opportunity to learn something new. Sometimes it’s a new variety, new producer or new region. In the case of this group of wines from Concha y Toro a close look at the labels provides us with the opportunity to learn a bit about three wine regions in Chile. Wine and geography, this should be fun!
These days, Carmenere is a varietal wine most closely associated with Chile. But, that is a relatively recent development — within the last 20 years. Lucky for those of us who enjoy Carmenere, viticulturists brought cuttings to Chile from France before the phylloxera epidemic of the 1860s all but destroyed the variety in its native Bordeaux region. Because Carmenere can be difficult to grow and fully ripen in Bordeaux, after the phylloxera epidemic it was not widely replanted. As a result, Chile is home to the vast majority of Carmenere plantings world wide.
The tasting at Fine Wines of Stockton last Thursday night was all about Chile. We tasted six wines, two of which George told us were Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Carmenere. Our assignment for the evening was to identify the two Cabernets. As an aside, George wanted us to think about whether Carmenere could be a substitute for Cabernet Sauvignon.
Our mission for the Thursday night tasting at Fine Wines of Stockton was to choose a favorite wine to have with hors d’oeuvres and one for a holiday dinner.
We enjoy wine, food and travel. Pull That Cork is a chronicle of our wine adventures, the food and wine pairings we create and our travels which are increasingly organized around wine.
