Wines of Chile

Thanks to Morton's for hosting!

Last week I went to a tasting of Chilean wines organized by the Guild of Sommeliers. As a devotee of the Carmenere grape I was super pumped. However,  I was also delighted to be introduced to some grapes from Chile I previously wasn't familiar with. 

The Carignan grape has traveled extensively around the world, likely originating in Aragon before landing in Sardinia and then French Languedoc. It's a grape that has also found a following in the new world, specifically Chile. The Odfjell Orzada Organic Carignan 2006 is a real gem that's easy to drink and tasted a little similar to Zinfandel with hints of raisin and prune. Made by a French winemaker in the Maule Valley (not far from Santiago), this is a higher acidity offering with some great notes of minerality. I also liked it for its raspberry jam flavor. 

My other favorite wine from the day was the Matetic Syrah 2005 from the San Antonio Valley. We also tasted the 2008 (also nice), but this 2005 vintage has all the flavors of spice, pepper and bacon fat (yes, you read that right) times a billion. I'm serious. This is a beefy wine that will make you want to dig into a huge plate of teriyaki. 

Two other Chilean wines of note: Maquis Lien 2007 and Los Vascos Le Dix 2008. Salud!