Posted on: Wednesday, April 27, 2005
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RAISE A GLASS
Wines of Chile come to the fore
By Brian Geiser
I'm brushing up on my knowledge of Chilean wines because this region is at the top of my wine travel wish list for 2006.
In Chile, they toast with "Salud, amor y dinero, y tiempo para gustarlos," which means "Health, love and money, and time to enjoy them." Now there's something to ponder over a bottle of Montes Alpha Cabernet Sauvignon. This full-bodied wine has good black fruits, well-integrated oak aromas and a good finish. The Apalta Valley is reputed to have the best geographic conditions in all of Chile for red wines.
Chile is a long narrow country sandwiched between the Pacific and the Andes with the following wine districts from north to south: Aconcagua (incorporating Casablanca), the Central Valley (including Maipo, Rapel, Curicó, and Maule), and the Southern Region (including Itata and Bío-Bío). The Atacama and Coquimbo regions in the northern central valley grow grapes used primarily for spirits (Pisco) and table use. And quality is way up. Credit must be given to some of the big names in wine which began investing in Chile in the 1980s, including Robert Mondavi, Lafite Rothschild, Marnier-Lapostolle (the makers of Grand Marnier), Jacques Lurton and Torres. Older wineries were upgraded and a new generation of university-educated winemakers arrived on the scene. Many of the new Chilean winemakers came from the University of Santiago, although there were also experts from France, the United States, Australia and New Zealand.
Chile is in its infancy in trying to categorize its wines, identify the best sites and pinpoint areas that produce superior wine so that people know what to expect in a bottle. In 1995, Chile established a new appellation system with a law that governs variety, vintage and exact origin, allowing only 25 percent of a bottle's contents to vary from the specifications on its label. There is no particular requirement regarding the production of Reserva wines, but all wines displaying the special designation of Reserva, Gran Reserva and Reserva Especial must indicate place of origin.
Generally, these wines have good primary fruit, are clean, well-balanced and are ready to enjoy now. Casa Lapostolle could be Chile's best sauvignon blanc. It is well balanced and pairs nicely with more traditional fish dishes that are sauteed or baked. The Chilean cabernets are low in tannin, so that appeals to a wide range of foods from plate lunch to barbecue steak.
I've called around to give you suggestions on what's available in Hawai'i:
Enjoy your South American adventure!
Brian Geiser is sommelier at Chef Mavro restaurant (www.chefmavro.com).
Why are the wines of Chile so affordable compared to other areas of the world? Since 1990, Chile has doubled its wine production and changed from consuming 70 percent of its own wine to exporting 60 percent of production. This is now the highest export level in the world.
