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Chile

When the original organics came out in the mid-1990s, the wines really were organic. The grapes were raised and harvested organically, and everything used in the winemaking process was organic. There were no additives and no added sulfites — and that’s the problem.

Sulfites or sulfur dioxide are used to preserve the wine and keep it from oxidizing. Although they occur naturally in wine, small additional amounts are used in the winemaking process — mainly for cleaning fermenting tanks and blocking unwanted bacteria.

The early organics might have been great when they left the winery, but they rotted and oxidized quickly. They had no shelf life, much less cellaring time. Maybe today’s 100 percent organic winemakers have figured things out, but their wines are rare and I don’t know them.

However, wines made from organic grapes can be quite nice, and they are widely available.

Natura is one of the best brands that I’ve tried. Both the cabernet sauvignon and the Chardonnay are well crafted, complex and well balanced. Natura is made by winemaker Alvaro Espinoza, who is recognized as one of the best in the world and a leader in the international sustainable and organic farming effort. Emiliana Organico, a subsidiary of Concha y Toro, produces the wines in the Central Valley and Casablanca Valley in Chile.

Emiliana does not use commercial fertilizers, pesticides or herbicides. Plants and animals are employed to maintain biodiversity and produce the organic grapes. The company is maintaining the environment, and the vineyards are beautiful, at least in the photographs shown on the company’s Web site.

Grass and flowers grow between the rows of vines, and the bugs eat the flowers rather than the grapes. Geese are marched into the vineyard each day to eat the bugs and help fertilize the vines, and alpacas are used to keep the grass, weeds and flowers in check. They also do a great job fertilizing the area. It’s a neat system, and apparently makes for a great spectacle for vineyard visitors.

The Chardonnay is exceptional for the price. It’s rare these days to find complex, a dry and heavily oaked Chardonnay under $10. The wine pairs nicely with the warm weather we’ve been having and is great to sip with appetizers or have with a light dinner. Try it with a dish that contains ginger.

I also liked the cabernet sauvignon a lot. Espinoza has come up with a terrific blend of 85 percent cabernet sauvignon, 10 percent carmerere and a little cabernet franc and malbec. The wine is quite complex, with different levels of flavor including a hint of oak. The cab works really well with lamb or other meats - or just to sip.

The wine is already a bargain at $9.99, but watch for sales.



Concha y Toro has a hit with the company’s line of reserve Casillero del Diablo. I tried a couple of them — cabernet sauvignon and carmenere. Both wines are very good, but I really liked the carmenere.

Chile has been making its mark for centuries with cabernet sauvignon, and Casillero del Diablo’s cab didn’t disappoint me. It is dry and well balanced with nice fruit flavors. It’s very drinkable and well made, but not terribly distinctive. If I had not had the carmenere first, I might have liked the cab better, but I was really blown away by the carmenere, and everything after it paled.

There was an immediate aroma and taste of both coffee and chocolate that was hard to mistake with the carmenere, which is one of the oldest Bordeaux grapes around, according to The Oxford Companion to Wine. It was quite popular in the 1800s but fell out of favor as a varietal because the MÐdoc region’s weather made it susceptible to low yields. When the Don Melchor de Concha y Toro was becoming one of the fathers of the modern Chilean wine industry in the early 1880s, he brought carmenere and some other French grapes from Bordeaux to Chile along with a French winemaker. The dry South American weather suited the grape. It flourished.

Other than carmenere’s wonderful, complex flavor, another great thing about the wine is the story of its brand name.

Apparently Don Melchor got tired of his vineyard workers slipping into his wine cellar and drinking all of his best wines. So, he put the word out that the devil lived in his deepest and darkest wine cellar.

The story spread rapidly and the workers were afraid to go anywhere near "The Devil’s Wine Cellar," and he kept his best wines there. The company stands by the story on its excellent Web site and on the label of the wine.

Carmenere is a dark, rich red wine that’s recommended with light meat dishes like chicken and medium cheeses. I found it vibrant enough to accompany chili and soup quite nicely. Carmenere and the other Casillero del Diablo wines are available in stores all over the Upper Valley.



I couldn’t find out much information about the Origin Chile Rosé, except that it is a private label for Shaw’s. The name means that the wine comes from different origins around the world. I suppose that signals that the grapes in the rosé are 100 percent from Chile, but I couldn’t find out for sure.

The wine is crisp and clean tasting. Like most of the other wines in the Origin line, it can be counted on to be a good buy. I liked the rosé, particularly for the price, which is around $7.50.



The Chilean families who own Concha y Toro launched a new line under the Cono Sur label with an eye on producing premium wines. They hired Adolfo Hurtado as the winemaker and general manager, and that was a good move. He’s been named Wine Maker of the Year a couple of times by the most prestigious wine guide in Chile, and in 1999, he started the “Pinot Noir Project,” aimed at making South America a world producer of the varietal. There’s been a shortage of pinot since the 2005 movie Sideways made it wildly popular, and Hurtado saw an opportunity to fill the void.
Cono Sur is now the largest producer of pinot noir on the continent and the fifth largest in the world.
From its 2,200 acres of vineyards, Cono Sur produces five different labels and 28 varietals ranging in price from $7.99 to $30 a bottle. The company practices sustainable farming. Unlike many large producers, it doesn’t over pick the vines, which keeps the intensity and quality of the grapes and the wine high.
And don’t be put off by the name. Cono Sur means Southern Cone and refers to the tip of South America and Chile where the wine is produced.

 

 

 

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