Two of the first wine grape varieties that the Spanish brought to Chile are called San Francisco and Chilena. Chilena, AKA Pais or Mission, has had a renaissance in Chile. However, San Francisco is still little known inside or outside of Chile. Continue reading
Author: winediplomats
Wine Review: What is Chilean Moscatel?
Moscatel is essentially a synonym of the aromatic varietal family of Muscat or Moscato. It’s what they call Muscat in Spanish and Portuguese speaking countries. However, there are many types of Moscatel grapes around the world and in Chile. Continue reading
Wine Review: Chilean Touriga Nacional v. Portuguese Red
Touriga Nacional is starting to emerge in other areas outside of Portugal, so I found a couple of examples from Chile to compare with a Portuguese red. Continue reading
Wine Review: California Carignan v. Chilean
Although monovarietal Carignan is now common in Chile, it actually used to be one of the most planted varietals in California, where they have even older vines of Carignan. Continue reading
The Spain Trip
I just got back from 2+ weeks in Spain. Even though the focus of the trip was family, friends and sightseeing, I still made sure to find opportunities to learn about Spanish wine. Continue reading
Wine Review: Aged Pinot Noir
This is my last post about wine I had in California. The theme was aged Pinot. Does Pinot get better with age? I’ll be in Spain soon, so I’ll probably be posting more on Instagram than on here and do a summary when I get back. Continue reading
Wine Review: Aged Wines for Wine Geeks
Although it’s becoming less trendy in this immediate pleasure driven world, I like aging my wines. However, if you do your research, you can find quality and interesting already aged wines for reasonable prices especially if you look at less famous vintages, producers, appellations/regions and varietals. Continue reading
Wine Review: Merlot for Wine Geeks
I found the ultimate rare Merlot for wine geeks and Bordeaux lovers. Plus, I tried some other serious Merlots. Continue reading
Wine Review: Purple Angel Carmenere
After my last post on Kai being a candidate for Chile’s best Carmenere, I decided to try another candidate for that crown: Montes Purple Angel. Continue reading
Wine Tourism in Chile: Elqui Valley
The Elqui Valley has it all: wine, beer, pisco, nature and the stars. Continue reading