At last I have found time to breath. For those of you not in the know, I have started a second job, which in reality is a third job. I've been working at Tastings-A Wine Experience in Mystic. This new wine bar and tapas style restaurant has been fantastic to me and a terrific place to work. So if you and your friends are looking for something different you'll have to swing on down and check it out.As for wine, perhaps the hottest new grape is Carménére. This wine from Chile is pretty unique in its characterisitics and probably most closely resembles a Malbec. I think it has a body somewhat bigger than Pinot Noir but lighter than a Merlot. The flavor profile ranges from cherries to chocolate and leather. But what makes this grape so fantastic is it's story. Every good wine needs a story behind it. I learned that reading A Very Good Year by Mike Weiss, a detailed look at the whole process behind Ferrari-Carano's Fume Blanc. Carménére was originally a Bordeaux grape in the Medoc. It was used in blending, much like Petite Verdot and Malbec. Some cuttings were taken and sent across the ocean to South America where they grew quite well. Of course, even the most astute vineyard workers had a hard time telling it apart from the Merlot. Then France was hit by the Phylloxera epidemic in 1867 that virtually destroyed the all grape vines in France. The French winemakers were reluctant to start growing Carménére again because it was pain to grow and it was hard to find after the epidemic. The Chileans continued to grow the grape and harvest it with the Merlot, mostly unknowingly. It wasn't until 1994 that a French professor of Oenology was able to recognize that this was in fact not Merlot, and in 1998 Chile's Department of Agriculture offically recognized the grape.
Today, we are getting Carménére harvested from the Colchagua Valley that are simply fantastic. They hold up well with heavy food but are also approachable enough to be drank on their own. And if you can't find any at your local wine shop, head over to tastings and I'll be happy to pour you a taste of our two Carménére's. Till next time..."There are dinner jackets and dinner jackets; this is the latter."--???
1 comment:
It was with the addition of Carmenere to Bordeaux blends that Chile really found it's voice in the world of wine. That thick streak of smoky Carmenere running through Clos Apalta or Sena defined the wine as being uniquely Chilean, it could be from no where else. In this way Chile established it's terroir with varietal, and distinguishes itself from the vino-culture of France which gave birth to it. It is informative to go back and do verticals of these wines, as I did with Sena and wine maker Edgard Carter this week. Each year a little more Carmenere, and with it another step into their own future.
Post a Comment