My trip to Chile

 Around the World in 48 Sips

 

 I'm so excited that I got my passport stamped this month for WineStyles latest promotional event!

 

 

 

 

First stop..... Chile!

 

I must admit I don't know much about Chile or its wines but I'm always up for a wine adventure!

 

 

Chile is a long and narrow strip of land but its territory presents a great diversity of landscapes. Mountain ranges run north to south and mountain chains cross Chile from east to west. The crossing ranges hold riverbeds that run in the same direction, which over millions of years, have formed alluvial terraces (a level tract of land resulting from repeated deposits of sediment over a long period of time by running water) that are valuable for growing grapevines!

 

From north to south, Chile has a large diversity of climates but in the central and traditional wine regions, it's mainly temperate Mediterranean.  The winter and spring have concentrated rain with a long dry season continuing through autumn. The cold from the Humboldt Current and the breezes from the mountains create a huge temperature differential between day and night which is good for producing healthy grapes.

 

 

 

Chile's geography is very unique in that its northern limit is one of the driest deserts in the world and its southern limit ends with glaciers!

 

First up on the tasting adventure is:

 

2013

Santa Ema

Savuvignon Blanc

Maipo Valley

 

 

pale yellow, acidic, citrus, crisp

GRAPEFRUIT

Of course, Sav Blancs all taste like biting into a grapefruit to me and I hate grapefruit.

I tolerated it and moved on.....

 

2012

Montes

Chardonnay



 

I love Chardonnay.

Wait, I love California and French Chardonnay.

I just learned that I evidently do not like Chilean Chardonnay. 

Stainless steel

crisp, tart, petroleum aroma

probably one of the worst Chards I have ever tasted.

 

Next please.....

 

Montes

Cherub

Rose of Syrah

 

This bright pink wine didn't just look like cherry cough syrup it smelled and tasted like it too!

A friend of mine who also went on this trip saw the disgusting face I made from across the room and cracked up. She only laughed because she felt the same way but didn't have the guts to be as obvious!

 

 

What will this wine pair well with?

being poured down the sink drain

 

Ok Chile... I'm learning and this is adventure is fun but I'm not really diggin' your wines.....

 

 

We had six wines to try on our adventure but Arthur, being his amazing self, decided to add in three others to taste.

 

The first of the "others" was a Chilean Malbec/Cab Sauvignon blend with a beautifully stinky smell and a delightful flavor. I'm not a huge Malbec fan but it was a nice blend with Cab.

 

 

Montes Alpha

Syrah

Colchagua Valley

 

Suddenly, everything changed... for the better.

 

I've never been excited about a Syrah.

I don't despise them by any means but I would never seek one out to drink.

 

Then I had this Chilean Syrah and that changed everything.

 

 

Burning stinky smell with a silky, fruity, bold taste

Finally a Syrah with some oompfh!

 

Yes, I bought one to take home.

 

 

Montes Alpha

Cabernet Sauvignon

Colchagua Valley

 

Colchagua - I love that word.

pronounced  "Coal-chaw-gwuh"

 

While in Chile, I decided that if God ever cursed me with a child, especially a boy, I would name him Colchagua and his nickname would be "Cole".

See, what monumental revelations occur at my happy place?

 

lovely stinky cigarbox fruit smell but not as smooth in taste as the Syrah

 long finish but too tart of a finish for me

 

 

 

 

Montes

Purple Angel Carmenere

Colchagua Valley

While I loved the Syrah, this baby stole my heart!

 





The Purple Angel is considered the Super Carmenere of Montes and I'd say it became the superstar of the night! I was surprised to hear that less than 10% of the wines that Chile makes are Carmenere. Until this trip, Carmenere was the only wine that I liked from Chile. Tonight did confirm thought that it is still my favorite Chilean wine.

 

 

Its tremendous aroma literally made me purr out loud at first whiff.

(Yeah, I can be quite entertaining at my happy place without even trying.)

I recall saying, "This is a bad girl wine" with a delightful smile on my face.

 

Ripe, red and black fruits with nutmeg, cinnamon and jam

Bold, rich, fruity and absolutely divine!

 

This was a special order wine and believe me I signed up right on the spot!

My only regret is whether I should have ordered two bottles.

 

 

The last two are "others" that Arthur selected for us to try.

 

 

Montes Alpha M

 

 

While this was delicious and primarily a Cab, it came nowhere near the intensity and sheer delight of the Purple Angel.

 

Montes

Folly





This 2010 Syrah was beautiful.

Landed in second place to my Purple Angel, though.





Who knew I'd have so much fun in Chile! While Chilean whites do absolutely nothing for me and I don't care if I ever have another one again, its Syrah and Carmenere have definitely stolen my heart!

 

Can't wait to get my passport stamped for the next wine adventure!

"One not only drinks wine, one smells it, observes it, tastes it, sips it and - one talks about it."
- King Edward VII