Chile Brings More Than Just Wine to Vancouver Festival

Twenty-five years after the first Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival, it looks like the 2003 edition will finally be the cross-cultural event it should be.
You might think a week-long of celebration of the grape with 48 individual components is already everything it could be, but this year's nation in the spotlight, Chile, is cross-marketing its cultural roots to demonstrate that there's much more than wine to what poet-diplomat Pablo Neruda called "Mi pais del gado" -- my thin country.
Chile's consulate-general in Vancouver and the Chilean Cultural Institute of Canada are staging a week-long film festival and an art exhibit in conjunction with the Playhouse event.
"We are honoured to be chosen as the official theme country of the 25th Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival. It is an excellent opportunity to bring you some of our wonderful wines," says Francisco Marambio, the consul-general here. "But we also wanted to give Vancouver a taste of the remarkable culture and sophistication of Chile."
At a press conference this week, Marambio appeared delighted to announce that two of his country's leading artists, film director Cecilia Barriga and painter Raul Eberhard, will be here for this month's festival.
Eberhard's work will be on display at the Bfly Atelier in Gastown and he will attend a reception and show called Chile's Finest: An Evening of Art and Wine, at the gallery on March 24.
Barriga will attend Picture This -- Wine with Chilean Cinema, on March 25, at the Pacific Cinémathèque. Her film Ya es la hora ("Time's Up!") will open a festival called A Week of Contemporary Chilean Cinema. Seven of Chile's most notable and honoured films will be shown.
Details on the film festival can be found at www.cinematheque.bc.ca.
As in past years, theme country booths in the Festival's international tasting room at the Vancouver Convention and Exhibition Centre will sport special identifying logos. To find the key Chilean players, look for sombreritos (little hats) on the lapels of the winery principals and agents.
As well, a number of government liquor stores are featuring displays of both premium and everyday labels this month. Today's picks come from the premium displays. Here are a half-dozen to consider:
Casa Lapostolle Cuvee Alexandre Chardonnay 2001 comes out of cool, coastal Casablanca, and offers a creamy vanilla, green apple/citrus nose with mineral undercurrents. Its soft, round entry previews an elegant style, with mineral/green apple and vanilla flavours and a butterscotch, baked apple, nutty finish. Cool, calm and sophisticated, it could easily be mistaken for a California Sonoma Coast chardonnay.
Much farther south at Curicó, cooler temperatures play a role in shaping the flavours of the Miguel Torres Maquehua Chardonnay 2001. This multi-clone blend has rich aromas of peach, honeysuckle and apple butter fruit. The textures are soft and somewhat flat on the mid-palate, with flavours of butterscotch, vanilla and baked apple. A mineral touch in the finish hints at its cool climate origins.
Shifting to reds, the Carmen Syrah Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 2000 sports a spicy, smoky leather, green olive nose typical of the Maipo Valley. Streaked with gamy, minty/cassis aromas, it's soft and supple on entry, with peppery, earthy/resiny black cherry flavours mixed with a mocha/coffee/vanilla finish that's a bit firm and chunky.
The Marques de Casa Concha Cabernet Sauvignon 2000 is grown at Puente Alto, in the heart of the Maipo's best vineyards. The Marques series is Concha y Toro's ode to French winemaking. Look for quite a smoky nose with leafy, mint and peppery aromas streaked with brambleberry fruit. It's intense on the palate -- smoky, spicy flavours of coffee, pepper, blackberry and sweaty leather. The tannins are young and somewhat rustic; the finish is long and marked with vanilla/coffee flavours and a touch of acidity.
The Baroness Philippine de Rothschild is engaged in a joint venture in Chile with Concha y Toro, making a wine called Escudo Rojo. The '01 version is very Chilean, and very Maipo with its cigar, green bean and bell pepper nose. It's much more elegant in the mouth, offering soft round tannins with cherry, tobacco and smoky leather flavours. This is a well made dinner wine with fine intensity.
The Maipo Valley is the source of Tarapaca's Shyraz Reserva 2000. Big, spicy, sausage and smoke aromas come with leathery undertones. Similar flavours mark the palate, along with earthy, gamy hints. The texture is soft and dense, and carries through the finish. It's a solid everyday red that's ready to go.
For up-to-date festival information, go to www.playhousewinefest.com, or look for brochures at Lower Mainland liquor and wine stores. For tickets, call Playhouse audience services at 604-873-3311.

PREMIUM CHOICES FROM CHILE

Wine: Casa Lapostolle Cuvee Alexandre Chardonnay 2001, Valle de Casablanca
Price: $26.95
UPC: 088110831288
Score: 16/20
Comments: Cool, calm,sophisticated.

Wine: Miguel Torres Maquehua Chardonnay 2001, Valle del Curicó
Price: $19.95
UPC: 8410113005083
Score: 15/20
Comments: Butterscotch, vanilla and baked apple.

Wine: Carmen Syrah Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 2000, Valle de Maipo
Price: $24.95
UPC: 677758901233
Score: 14.5/20
Comments: Peppery, earthy, resiny black-cherry flavours.

Wine: Marques de Casa Concha Cabernet Sauvignon 2000, Puente Alto, Valle de Maipo
Price: $19.95
UPC: 7804320333175
Score: 15.5/20
Comments: Smoky, spicy, blackberry and coffee flavours.

Wine: Escudo Rojo 2001, Valle de Maipo
Price: $24.85
UPC: 812485000013
Score: 15.5/20
Comments: Cherry, tobacco, sweaty leather and smoke.

Wine: Tarapaca Shyraz Reserva 2000, Valle de Maipo
Price: $14.95
UPC: 633567902175
Score: 15/20
Comments: Spicy sausage and smoky flavours.