Archive for October, 2007
October 30, 2007 at 10:34 pm · Filed under Bio-Bio Valley, Gewurztraminer
Expectations are raised when you come across a wine of a rare grape variety on the shelves, and even 
more when it comes from the BÃo-BÃo Valley. The variety Gewürztraminer which comes from Germany, should find excellent conditions in these southern lands. Gewürztraminer wines are aromatic, citric and somewhat sweet, although there is much discussion in Europe about the custom of adding sugar to the must; we will see if these wines keep the same characteristics over the next few years.
This Gewürztraminer wine from de Cono Sur Vineyard raises great expectations due to its lovely colour and floral aroma, but in the mouth it may frighten more than a few. It seems unlikely that it will be able to approach the position held by Chilean Chardonnay, which is reaching a high level of development at all levels of production. Recommended only by those of a curious disposition.
Chilean wine for share
October 29, 2007 at 10:35 pm · Filed under Chilean appellations, Chardonnay wine Chile
We continue to taste some of the white wines which fall within everyone’s price range. And that this may 
be seen unfavourably by some, forms part of the paradox of wine culture. Without doubt, in backward societies democracy hurts, produces discomfort, and is seen as a threat by some. If wine in remote times was used as a symbol and means for social unity in festivities, where different social classes and clans would mix, today it often seems to imply the opposite.
I don’t have the figures, but I would imagine tha, t the wines produced by Cono Sur vineyard sell well in the USA and the UK, since the bicycle is generally welcomed in this world under threat from climatic change. A winner of an image for these times; apart from this, there is very little information about the production processes on the label of these wines.
The Chardonnay 2007 wine from the Cono Sur vineyard is very easy to drink with a pleasing aroma and good on the palate. It doesn’t have grand aspirations but it is a very solid wine and above all, a democratic one (one citizen = one wine = maybe cheapest).
<[ü]> _2007
Chilean wine for share
October 26, 2007 at 4:30 am · Filed under Colchagua Valley, Rapel Valley, Cabernet Sauvignon wine Chile, Shiraz wine Chile
The unique labeling attracts your attention and does a good job communicating the importance of good 
rootstock to making a good wine. The story goes that these are rare ungrafted vines growing in a rarified region. Unlike most of the world’s wine growing regions, here in Colchagua Valley Phylloxera has not destroyed the original vines or forced new vines to be grafted onto resistant root stock.
Seattle based Click Wine Group is partners with giant Agrosuper Viña Ventisquero on Root:1 Chilean Cabernet.
Winemaker Felipe Tosso reports the source of fruit is the Apalta and El Suspiro (”the whisper”) Vineyards in Colchagua Valley, a sub-region of Rapel Valley. The blend is 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Syrah, aged about 1 year in French oak barrels.
Outstanding value ($11). Closure: Real cork. Alcohol content: 14%.
Style: Fruit forward, complex, lush, dark fruit, some oak spice.
Tasting Notes: Appearance: Deep ruby translucent. Aromas: Cherry, loganberry, coffee, vanilla, cinnamon, and sage. Rich, well-structured and medium-bodied, the jammy dark fruit flavors merge with spicy cedary oak to create a big dry reverberating finish.
Comment: This unexpectedly fruity and new worldly Chilean Cab goes great with a medium rare steak.
Chilean wine for share
October 26, 2007 at 2:04 am · Filed under Maipo Valley, Cabernet Sauvignon wine Chile
This is growing on me. Unimpressed on initial sample - yeh, it’s a cab. minty, blah blah… accompanied a 
simple meal of venison sausages and chive-spiked mash potato… umm, nice… even in the heat-less cottage (the heating has packed up; on the coldest fecking day of the year).
Wine Tasting Note: Peñalolen Cabernet Sauvignon, 2003, Maipo Valley, Chile.
Listed by Oddbins for 10 Euros.
A smidgen of mint invades the medley of black fruits that dominate the palate. Tannins are fine and dandy, thank you very much, while the length is just as impressive. Serve with food is my conclusion. Lovely and smooth with those venison sausages. An inky twist on the finish. I don’t agree with the Oddbins claim that this is the best value red on their shelves; it ain’t bad but wild claims are the Oddbins norm. A Bordeaux blend with 88% Cabernet, 8% Merlot and 4% Cabernet Franc. Alcohol 14.5%. Warming. Steak and Kidney pudding… venison… cottage pie… something equally hearty on these cold nights.
Chilean wine for share
October 16, 2007 at 5:49 am · Filed under Casablanca Valley, Gewurztraminer
This medium straw sure smells like gewurz, all peachy and litchi and stuff, but it tastes more like 
Sauvignon vino Gewurztraminer ChileBlanc at first, according to Cousin Larry Meehan; medium to medium full bodied, tart and crisp, with under-ripe fruit; however, it opens quickly with only a few more sips to reveal the floral peach and litchi that are so characteristic of the varietal and a subtle fruit (not sugar) sweetness, with good intensity and some mineral underneath. There’s nothing delicate about this wine, indeed, it’s quite assertive, and the more I sip, the more I like.
Fruit sourced from the El Marco Estate (Casablanaca Valley), planted in 1997; sandy soil with clay and low water retention. Vertical trellis, drip irrigation and integrated vineyard management including geese and INIA bands for pest control. Cordon pruning with 2 bud spurs every 10 cms., 35% leaf removal. Harvested April 10th, hand picked, with yields of 2.83 tons/acre. Vinification: 100% destemmed, stainless steel, 100% cold maceration; aged in stainless steel.
Chilean wine for share
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