Recently I’ve written about regions and varieties that may expand in the future due to climate change. Another such variety is Sagrantino, which is a little known grape from Umbria in central Italy. Despite its obscurity even in Italy, the first varietal version of Sagrantino from Chile has just been released. Therefore, I decided to compare it with an Italian Sagrantino to better understand this uncommon grape. Continue reading
Category: Reviews
Wine Review: Rare Spanish Pinot v. South American Pinot
Can Spain make great Pinot? I brought a bottle back from my last trip in Spain to compare it with some local South American Pinot Noir. Continue reading
Wine Review: Wines from the Cautín Valley
The Cautín Valley is one of the two major valleys in the Austral (Patagonia) region of Chile along with Osorno. Although these valleys are currently unknown to most of the world, they could be the future of Chilean wine. Continue reading
Wine Review: Uniquely Made Chilean Whites
I found two uniquely made Chilean whites. The first is a one-of-a-kind white, fermented with a type of yeast normally only used for sake. The other uses uncommon varieties to make a skin-contact white. Continue reading
Wine Review: Old-School Chilean Varietals–San Francisco & Chilena
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
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
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