Chile A New Direction

Public response was predictably large in most stops save Calgary, where sky-high oil and housing prices and a red-hot economy has captured that town's attention to the exclusion of just about everything else.

As for the Chileans, after nearly 15 years of sporting the value-for-money tag, producers aim to convince the public to pay attention to all the wine they make.

It's no easy task when both buyers and the public perceive your wine to be of an acceptable quality and inexpensive -- that kind of accolade tends to stick. As flattering as it is to be the best value on the block, many Chileans feel they have been shut out of the restaurant sector and the so-called fine wine sector by buyers who have no trouble listing their inexpensive labels, but balk at the thought of listing anything over $20.

Last week, I attended a tasting in Toronto that pitted the top labels of esteemed Chilean producer Eduardo Chadwick (Vina Errazuriz, Sena and Vinedos Chadwick) against the best of France and Italy. The same tasting has been held in Berlin, Tokyo, Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Santiago and to say that the Chilean wines performed well is an understatement.

Chadwick says his aim is "to present Chile's 'terroir' in comparison with those of Bordeaux and Tuscany and then to show our best wines against the best from those regions. In competing against the best there is always a risk, but a valuable learning experience as well."

In Berlin, Chadwick's wines placed first, second and fifth. In Brazil it was second, third, fifth and sixth, while in Tokyo, they placed second, third, fourth, fifth and 10th.

In Toronto, the Bordeaux icons, the 2000 Margaux and the 2000 Latour, finished first and second, but the Errazuriz Don Maximiano 2003 placed third and Sena 2003 placed fifth.

Maybe it's time we took the risk and looked into the new Chile. In the meantime, here are some of my best-value picks currently in the market.

Top years like 2005 usually means there is a better supply of fruit at the lower end of the market and that's the case with the Terra Andina Cabernet-Merlot. Look for soft, sappy cassis fruit that dominates the nose and palate. This is well-made, rustic red wine selling for less than $9 a bottle with just enough cedar-y fruit to make it a good value at home or by the glass in restaurants.

The Cono Sur Pinot Noir 2006 sells so fast you get the feeling it's being rushed to the market, but then it's made to be drunk young. The '06 sports a typical spicy, licorice root and black cherry nose with a touch of resin and earth. It's fairly tart on the mid-palate, in essence calling for that duck confit or roasted chicken. Still solid, and the price is a dream. Six more months in bottle would be ideal.

Newly arrived winemaker Felipe Garcia (ex-Calina) was not involved in the making of the Casas del Bosque Pinot Noir Reserve 2005 but his passion and presence will only make this wine stronger going forward. As it is, we love the spicy, caraway, cherry, licorice root, cola aromas and more important its elegant, dry palate and light tannins. Similar flavours remind us of a pinot cross between Marlborough, New Zealand and Willamette Valley, Oregon. Good value here too.

Viu Manent has a reputation for its fat, almost sweet-tasting malbec and the Viu Manent Malbec 2005, from Colchagua, is brimming with licorice, black fruit and tobacco. Smooth and spicy with alcohol and acidity to spare, it needs a piece of meat to tame its youthful figure. It's very hard to beat all that flavour and oomph for the money.

Reserva Antiguas is a revered label in Chile, but in the past its green notes and dry leather flavours never quite cut it. The good news is there's a new day at Cousino Macul and the Cousino Macul Antiguas Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 has a new look and taste. It begins, thankfully, with ripe blackberry fruit. There's fine concentration and weight on the palate with grainy tannins and just a hint of leaf and the old rusticity in the aftertaste (or barrels). Well done. Bring on the roast beef.

Most people do not associate syrah with Chile, but they will when they taste the Cremaschi Furlotti Syrah Reserve 2004, from Valle del Maule. This red comes with all the smoky roasted pepper and spice you can handle. Add vanilla, blackcurrant fruit and some berry jam flavours and you have the Furlotti edition. You can drink it now with roast lamb or lay it down for two to three years. A solid rainy-day red.

TERRA ANDINA CABERNET - MERLOT 2005, REGION DEL VALLE CENTRAL, CHILE
Price: $8.90
UPC: 830212000075
Score: 85/100
Remarks: Soft tasty, rustic red for less than $9.

CASAS DEL BOSQUE PINOT NOIR RESERVE 2005, VALLE DE CASABLANCA, REGION DE ACONCAGUA, CHILE
Price: $19.95
UPC: 697412000362
Score: 88/100
Remarks: Oregon-style Chilean pinot.

CONO SUR PINOT NOIR 2006, VALLE DEL RAPEL, REGION DEL VALLE CENTRAL, CHILE
Price: $9.89
UPC: 7804320753454
Score: 86/100
Remarks: Spicy, licorice root and black cherry nose at a dream price.

VIU MANENT MALBEC 2005, VALLE DEL COLCHAGUA, VALLE DEL RAPEL, CHILE
Price: $12.86
UPC: 7804314945094
Score: 87/100
Remarks: Hard to beat all this flavour and oomph for the money.

COUSINO MACUL ANTIGUAS RESERVA CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2005, VALLE DEL MAIPO, CHILE
Price: $17.99
UPC: 089046888100
Score: 87/100
Remarks: A new edition of an old-style wine that works.

CREMASCHI FURLOTTI SYRAH RESERVE 2004, VALLE DEL MAULE, CHILE
Price: $16.80
UPC: 7804342002110
Score: 87/100
Remarks: Chilean syrah replete with spicy, smoky roasted pepper flavours.

 

New releases are the story this week and, as usual, you'll find them in special end-of-aisle displays in B.C. Liquor Stores. Remember, not every store is involved in the New Releases program, but any known for its extensive wine selection is a prime candidate.

In response to the never-ending inquiries I receive that go something like this: "Where can I find the wine you recommend each week?" I want to point you to the highly useful website www.bcliquorstores.com.

It now has a very useful search engine that allows you to find the price and store location of any product sold in the system. You can search the database using the "product search by store" button found on the home page. You can search by country, grape variety or simply by typing in a few letters of the wine name.

Once the wine name you are looking for appears on the screen, simply click on its name and you will see its price and label on one side of the page and a list of all the B.C. regions (and how many bottles are in each) on the other side.

Click on any region -- for example, Lower Mainland -- and you are taken to a list of all the communities that carry the wine and how many bottles are in each area.

Click on your community -- for example, Richmond -- and all the Richmond stores appear that sell the wine you are searching for complete with an inventory. Finally click on the store name -- for example, Richmond-Brighouse -- and you get a map, telephone number and a complete listing of the store hours. Now that's service and an incredible resource for wine buyers.

As discussed in previous columns, the new-to-B.C. selections are available for two months and then their listing status is re-evaluated. Those showing strong sales go into mass distribution; those that founder are de-listed.

Our new picks today begin with an organic wine from Chile. VOE Adobe Chardonnay Organico 2005 from Casablanca comes from VOE, Vinedos Organicos Emiliana, an independent company within the vast Concha y Toro group. Adobe Chardonnay is one of the first VOE wines to come into Canada and it's a surprisingly stylish, affordable, quality, organic wine. Look for an open, citrus, honey melon fruit nose with a refreshingly lean mid-palate, flecked with mineral and more honeyed fruit flavours. It's fairly warm (alcoholic) on the mid-palate, but otherwise a decent organic chardonnay. The price is excellent.

Chateau Haut Perthus 2005 comes from the Bergerac region of southwest France and is a blend of cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc and merlot. Look for smoky, green olive, coffee, tobacco, saddle-leather notes in a dry, round, supple-style red. The flavours mix leafy, cedar, black olive, cassis and smoke. Needs a year in bottle to come around. Try with beef ribs.

My next pick is not one of the new releases, but you should seek out La Bastide (Rouge) 2005 -- a syrah, grenache, carignan blend from the south of France. This bargain red is ripe, round, soft and balanced with lots of black-cherry jam, licorice, and meaty, spicy, peppery flavours with a raspberry finish. Great food wine and great value. What a difference compared to the '04. Drink with roast lamb or anything barbecued.

From South Africa, the latest is Excelsior Cabernet Sauvignon 2004. Excelsior Estate is home to the De Wets, Stephen and Freddie, fourth-generation South African wine guys who have crafted a plummy, earthy, fruit-spiked cab with leather and toasted oak. It's fairly acidic on the mid-palate, with dry leather notes and a warm alcoholic finish. Best served with grilled or barbecued meats. This is basic cabernet with a dry earthy South African twist in the finish.

Think pink for fun and pick up some Pink by Yellowglen. Yellowglen has always been a great bubble maker in Oz and they have turned their expertise to this entry-level fizz of pinot noir and chardonnay. Upfront citrus-fruit flavours with a hint of strawberry make it fun to sip al fresco, or pair it with tapas-style food. Just sweet enough to take the edge off the acidity. This is a fun, albeit barely pink, bubble at an affordable price.

Finally, a new red from one of the Douro Boys: Miguel Roquette, owner of Quinta do Crasto. I guess in my mind, I was hoping for the price of the regular Crasto Douro red to come down, but rather, we have a new wine, Flor de Crasto 2004, that was built for early drinking. The tannins are softer, the fruit a bit more forward, but it's still the Douro. The nose is an impressive sort of fragrance you might get if you cross a sangiovese with a malbec. On the palate it's a dusty, earthy, medium-bodied red wine full of vim and vigour, not to mention refreshing acidity. Enjoy all winter with grilled meats, stews or wherever the word rustic is used. Good value.

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ADOBE CHARDONNAY ORGANICO 2005, VALLE DE CASABLANCA, CHILE
Price: $13.99
UPC: 7804320150628
Score: 86/100
Remarks: New well made, organic chardonnay.

CHATEAU HAUT PERTHUS BERGERAC 2004, BERGERAC, FRANCE
Price: $13.95
UPC: 3391220026862
Score: 85/100
Remarks: Spicy, leafy, cedar, black olive, cassis and smoky flavours. Try with beef ribs.

LA BASTIDE (ROUGE) 2005, VIN DE PAYS D'HAUTERIVE, LANGUEDOC, FRANCE
Price: $9.99
UPC: 3382100000751
Score: 87/100
Remarks: Great food wine and great value.

EXCELSIOR CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2004, ROBERTSON, BREEDE RIVER VALLEY, SOUTH AFRICA
Price: $15.99
UPC: 6004470000120
Score: 85/100
Remarks: Basic cabernet with a dry, earthy, South African twist in the finish.

PINK BY YELLOWGLEN PINOT NOIR - CHARDONNAY N/V, AUSTRALIA
Price: $12.99
UPC: 098137113236
Score: 86/100
Remarks: Fun to sip al fresco or pair with tapas-style food.

FLOR DE CRASTO DOURO VINHO TINTO 2004, DOURO VALLEY, NORTHERN PORTUGAL
Price: $13.99
UPC: 5604123001101
Score: 87/100
Remarks: A fragrant dusty, earthy red made for grilled meat dishes.