Concha y Toro is one of the most recognizable wine brands out there on the market. They are an enormous company with many, many varieties and styles at their disposal. I wanted to take a closer look at one of the more available wines where you can find nearly anywhere from your local grocery store, to even the sketchy corner market that doesn’t even have a name above the door. This wine is from the Chilean Denomination of Origin (D.O.) of the Central Valley. It’s Merlot, a Bordeaux French variety and one of the world’s most planted grapes. This particular wine comes from a region where many varieties are planted. The soil here is riverbench and benchland soils, while being aged in American oak barrels for a short time. Continue reading
Cork vs. Screw-Cap vs. Alternatives
What is the purpose of corks, screw-caps and the alternatives? Wine preservation, obviously!
There have been a lot of heated debates with the simple question: Is the cork better than the screw-top? Let’s take a closer look and you decide… Continue reading
Wine Review: 2016 MontRubí “Gaintus Radical” Sumoll Penedès
There are over 10,000 wine grape varieties in the world, so you can never stop exploring new ones. In some cases new ones are often old ones that just got lost in the shuffle after the phylloxera outbreak. That’s the case with the Sumoll grape. This is my first time trying it. Continue reading
Wine Review: Waqar vs. Alamo Pisco
You may be wondering right now why is there a piece on pisco when this is a wine website? Well, for those of you who are unfamiliar, pisco, is nothing more than distilled wine. That’s right. It comes from grapes, then turns into a sort of wine, followed by a distillation process. Continue reading
Wine Review: 2018 Ventisquero Grey Glacier Single Block GCM Colchagua
I’ve been down this road before with this blend, and wanted to have a revisit. What we have here is the Ventisquero Grey [Glacier] Single Block 2018. This is from the D.O. Valle de Colchagua specifically the Apalta Vineyard. It is a Mediterranean styled blend of garnacha (62%), cariñena (19%) and mataro (19%). The Apalta Vineyard is located not far from the Tinguiririca River. The soils consist of stone and sand, with red clay making it ideal for these particular varieties. It spent six months in French oak. Continue reading
My Wine and Music Pairings
One reason why I love wine is its ability to engage all your senses. Its shiny hue entices you to the glass. It’s a reflecting pool or a transparent prism to see yourself and the world in a different way as you take each sip. Of course it engages your sense of smell and taste, but equally as important is how it feels in your mouth and glides down your throat as the alcohol slowly relaxes your nerves. However, the sense that is least engaged directly is hearing. Perhaps the sound of the cork being popped and the wine being poured conjures up some Pavlovian response. Sparkling wines also have a sound and that may actually indicate the size of the bubbles and hence the quality. Otherwise, there’s not much that wine directly adds to your sense of hearing. Yet, some of the greatest conversations you’ve had were over a glass of wine. You’re listening acutely to who and what’s around you as your other senses are enthralled in pleasure. And if there’s the right music around you, it can enhance your overall drinking experience too. So how do you find the right wine and music pairing?
Wine Review: 2017 Villard Expresion Reserve Pinot Noir Casablanca
Less than 25km from the Pacific lies Villard Fine Wines. Here the cool ocean breeze and morning fog make it perfect for Pinot Noir. The French but Swiss-raised founder, Thierry Villard, met his wife in Chile and eventually created his own winery in 1989, when Casablanca was still largely underdeveloped as a wine region. Despite its high quality, it remains a small family boutique winery and is part of the independent winemaker movement, MOVI.
Wine Review: Tenuta delle Terre Nere Etna Rosso 2016
The other night we had a virtual wine tasting, thanks in part to the mandatory social distancing orders from the Chilean Government. So we decided to try something a little more, well, international. Continue reading
Great Chilean Wines while Social Distancing
One consolation for much of the world practicing social distancing is we have more time to enjoy cooking food and drinking wine. As a consequence, at home wine consumption and online wine purchases have increased dramatically. When you buy online with more time on your hands, it’s also easier to explore how many different types of wines are out there. While you can’t travel to Italy at the moment, you can at least try an Etna Rosso from Sicily for the first time to go with your pasta. At the same time, a lot of us have to watch our pocketbook while buying wine, especially these days. Therefore, for my first article in The Wine Diplomats, I want to give you some ideas for affordable Chilean wines to try during the pandemic. Continue reading
Wine Review: 2017 Vita Vitis Aglianico Maule
Vita Vitis is a collaboration between Italian winemaker Maurizio Castelli and Chilean winemaker Andres Sanchez. Both have worked in Italy for such producers as Grattamacco in Tuscany. Their mission is to introduce lesser known Italian varietals into Chile rather than just the typical French varietals. That’s what makes this wine unique because Aglianico is rarely found outside of Italy. Besides Aglianico, they have planted other reds like Montepulciano, Sagrantino, Primitivo, Cesanese, Dolcetto, Terrano (Refosco), Barbera and Cannonou (Grenache). They’ve also planted whites like Fiano, Falanghina, Incrocio Manzoni, Pinot Blanco, Verdicchio, and Grechetto de Todi. Production here is small and they currently don’t export outside of Chile. Continue reading