Chile Must Bring its A-Team and the AAA Wines

Spain in particular has done a fabulous job of telling its story that is so much larger, and far more interesting, than its pitiful product selection in local wine stores.

It's easy to say the buyers have dropped the ball but consumers also have a responsibility. You have to support the category for it to thrive. Getting to know Spanish wine takes some work but the rewards are plain to see: a chance to drink mostly affordable, highly regional, terroir-based wines that tell a story.

By the time you read this column, Chile will have been announced as the wine festival's next theme country in 2012.

The former Spanish colony has really upped its wine game over the last five years, although once again you would never know it by the relatively safe, boring listings that dot local wine store shelves. Modern Chilean wine-growing is literally getting cooler, moving east and west toward the Andes and the Pacific, all along its narrow north-south axis.

In fact, the movement is headed almost anywhere but the low-lying Central Valley, where Chile's best-value moniker was born. Chile is desperate to shirk its cheap wine image, which is hindering the country's ability to sell far more interesting and more expensive wine that better expresses its special terroirs.

Value may be a door opener but it's been 20 years since Chilean wine arrived in Canada and very few labels are snapped up by collectors or have made the jump to restaurant wine lists where respectability for better or worse is judged.

Let's hope Chile brings its 'A' team to the festival and its 'AAA' wines. From my point of view, the tasting room needs a much higher level of wine quality. Chilean producers should resist the urge to pour any and all of its commercial successes next spring and instead bring the wines of tomorrow.

Enjoy today's picks as we try to digest and prepare to report on all our festival findings next weekend.

We begin with a terrific rosé from Torres De Casta Rosé 2010. I have a soft spot for the Torres rosé, garnacha/cariñena blend that has been around for an astounding 70 years. Expect a clean fresh nose with hint of citrus and earthy, black cherry and fresh raspberry aromas. Equally bright and fresh on the palate it has a ripe candied cherry palate with minerality, citrus and a fresh, watery, thirst quenching aftertaste. Any summer salad, corn on the cob, charcuterie or even cold fried chicken is the answer here. And it is a crazy bargain at $13.

You can expect no changes with well-composed Sicilian red Cusumano Syrah 2007 except for the nifty new glass Vino-Lok stopper that assures the wine will never be corked. It has a rich peppery, licorice, minty, black fruit nose spiked with meaty coffee notes. Soft and fleshy fruit coats the palate, with more minty, menthol, peppery, blueberry. Approaching its zenith now, it would be perfect with a grilled steak or lamb roast.

People often repeat the fable that Kendall-Jackson Chardonnay Vintner's Reserve 2008 contains a whack of residual sugar and is too sweet to be enjoyed. Of course it's all poppycock. In fact, the KJ's Chardonnay are consistently drier than most mainstream California offerings, which is why I like it so much. Expect a soft, dry palate with somewhat juicy acidity that mix with a buttery, spicy lees, melon, honey, lychee, mango, vanilla flavours with a creamy finish. The style is tropical with ripe fruit that offers good intensity and balance with some finesse. Great with crab.

The Frescobaldi Tenuta di Castiglioni contains mostly Bordeaux varieties with a little Tuscan sangiovese that appears to be more prominent on the nose with peppery, blackberry, olive, licorice, floral, oregano aromas. The palate is supple with excellent finesse and juicy acidity followed by more cassis, plum, blackberry, coffee, vanilla, dried herbs, olive and tobacco flavours. A balanced effort with fine fruit and concentration. Drink now or keep for two to four years.

The Peter Lehmann 2005 is a nice step up in ripeness and roundness, which may surprise, considering it is a rare edition made up of 100 per cent cabernet sauvignon. The vines are all 60 years old and the fruit is aged for 18 months in French oak -another reason to pay attention here. We love the richness and gloss on entry and the powerful minty, cedar, black fruit flavours that run the length of the wine. You can easily drink this now with a T-bone steak or a piece of lamb, or you can cellar it for another five years. Well done and good value.

Our final pick is an amazing Sonoma County red: Rodney Strong Symmetry 2007. This is the best Symmetry yet from its coffee, vanilla, cedar, blackberry, cassis nose through its meaty, floral, plum and roasted pepper aromas. The attack is rich and ripe, very Californian, with supple textures and fine grained tannins. Big chocolate, coffee, vanilla, blackberry jam, cedar, smoky, meaty, mint, savoury and tobacco flavours mark the palate. Needs two to three years soften or serve sooner with roasted meats.

Torres De Casta Rosé 2010, Catalunya, Spain

Price: $13

UPC: 08410113002020

Score: 88/100

Remarks: A crazy bargain.

Cusumano Syrah 2007, Sicily, Italy

Price: $18

UPC: 8028262000158

Score: 88/100

Remarks: Soft and fleshy fruit coats the palate, with peppery blueberry.

Kendall-Jackson Chardonnay Vintner's Reserve 2008, California, U.S.

Price: $24

UPC: 081584013105

Score: 88/100

Remarks: Riper, tropical style that offers intensity and balance with some finesse.

Frescobaldi Tenuta di Castiglioni 2008, Tuscany, Italy

Price: $27

UPC: 08007425000334

Score: 90/100

Remarks: A balanced effort with fine fruit and concentration.

Peter Lehmann Mentor 2005, Barossa Valley, South Australia

Price: $44

UPC: 9311910102113

Score: 91/100

Remarks: Powerful minty cedar black fruit flavours run the length of the wine.

Rodney Strong Symmetry 2007, Alexander Valley, Sonoma County, California, U.S.

Price: $80

UPC: 087512075337

Score: 92/100

Remarks: One of the best Symmetrys we have tasted.