Chilean Cuisine, Part IV

An example of Casillero del Diable Carmenere variety,

2007 reserve, about $4.00.

Let this be a lesson to all you hopeful bloggers out there in the world, and for that matter to anyone who has any sort of plan to accomplish any form of writing on a Friday evening, that it's nearly impossible if you have any sort of social life. I guess I should have known better, especially when you consider that I was planning on writing a section about Chilean spirits.

Well, I am still going to talk about Chilean liquor, however I've decided to split this section into two. Today I'm going to talk about Chilean wine, seeing as it really deserves at least one post all to itself to do it justice.

As I'm sure many of you already know, Chile is very famous for its wine production. Although I am somewhat biased, I do believe Chile to be second to none in it's selection of red wine. I would gladly take up a Chilean cabernet sauvignon against any Napa, Sonoma, or Bordeaux production of the same type. Every Chilean knows a great deal about wine, and the serving of wine here is an art. Once in the US I attempted to send back a bottle of red wine in a restaurant because it was way too cold (red wine must be served at "cellar temperature," roughly 65-68 degrees fahrenheit), and he looked at me like I was crazy. In Chile, they wouldn't even think twice and would also apologize profusely. In the States people love the concept of "three buck Chuck" from Trader Joe's, being a very cheap and reasonably tasty medium red. However, one of the best parts of Chile is that you can go anywhere, order a bottle of wine for about $4, and it will be delicious, comparable to any $20 bottle of California wine.

Chile has hundreds of vineyards, ranging from tiny, family-owned wineries to big companies owned by famous wine names such as Rothschilds and Coppola. The biggest vineyard in Chile by far is Concha y Toro. Started in the middle of the 19th century, the vineyard now makes several brands, most notably Don Melchor and Casillero del Diablo. The former brand is the most reserve of varieties that they have, and a bottle of Don Melchor costs about $60 to about $200, depending on the year and grape variety (this is considered VERY expensive for a bottle). Casillero del Diablo is the mainstay of Concha y Toro, and a bottle here costs about $5. Fortunately for all of you, Casillero del Diablo is the most common Chilean brand found in wine cellars and liquor stores in the states. I suggest either a bottle of 2005 (about $25) or a bottle of 2007 reserve, which will cost you about $12 to $15, I believe. If you're looking for a nice way to impress the lady friend (or shock the boyfriend), order a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon from Casillero del Diablo (don't mess up the pronunciation, it's ka-si-YE-ro del Diablo, not ka-si-LE-ro). You can tell your date that it's a great wine to accompany red meat, chicken, or pasta due to it's medium body with hints of black currants and plum, and finishes with a mild oak taste.

If you, however, will be dining on fish, red wine really isn't acceptable. This is more of an American custom. In Chile, you can drink any kind of wine you'd like at any time because they are more concerned about personal preference than custom. However, as I have been raised mostly a gringo, I only drink white wine with fish. I never thought of Chile as a hub of white wine, however in the past 20 years the country has also emerged as a leader in Sauvignon Blanc and other white varieties. I prefer dry wine and so when drinking white wine I always drink Sauvignon Blanc. In the states, white varieties are less common, but the same years and brands apply.

Lastly, Chile is now home to really the only supply of Carmenere grapes. Carmenere is a grape originally from the Bordeaux region of France and was used in blends with Cabernet grapes to produce deeply red and dry wines. In 1867, a disease struck all the vineyards that produced the Carmenere grades in France and so today it's nearly impossible to find the variety there. However, the grape survived in Chile because growers here were using it in place of Merlot grapes which were less common and harder to grow here. Today, Carmenere is known as something distinctly Chilean and is a wonderful alternative to merlot, though I have not seen it in the states.

Other Chilean brands to check out are Santa Rita and Valdivieso, two brands that I know make it to the states. Chilean wine has a great reputation and many are switching from French to Chilean due to a better price-quality ratio. I encourage you guys to experiment, because that's the only way to see what you really like.

Well now that I feel horribly pretentious and somewhat of a douche bag, I hope that you all learned something and were inspired to expand your palettes. 

Stay tuned later today for Part IV 1/2, where I cover the rest of Chilean liqor.