Carménère is the red Bordeaux grape famous for going extinct — and then found flourishing in Chile under the pseudonym of Merlot! It’s hard to imagine how the two could be confused: if you taste Carménère from Chile, you’d never guess it was Merlot. While both have cherry fruit and herbal notes, Merlot is much more mellow, mild, and smooth while Carménère is more wild and crazy with notes like jalapeño jelly. But everyone figured that was just the influence of the terroir in Chile until Continue reading →
And yes we’re celebrating another “wine day” in November! Following Merlot Day, Tempranillo Day, and Zinfandel Day comes Carménère Day on November 24 which is also Thanksgiving in the United States.
And wine is definitely something that I am grateful for this Thanksgiving!
But why is Carménère Day on Thanksgiving?Had you even heard of Carménère wine or Carménère Day?Continue reading →
Looking for an Earth friendly and budget friendly red wine? Recently Que Syrah Sue and I tasted the 2012 Syrah, Carmenere, and Cabernet Sauvignon from Montes Winery which dry farmed (note the cobwebs on the water spigots?) and is certified under the Wines of Chile Sustainable Code. These wines retail for under $20 making them perfect candidates for Earth Month festivities. Look for the distinctive angel iconography on the Montes Winery label which began when owner Douglas Murray survived two near-fatal automobile accidents;
the angel symbolizes the winery’s philosophy to be a positive force and influence.
When I was a poor college student (except for the year I worked at Ridge!), and then a student loan paying underemployed thirty-something artist/poet/writer, my go to wines were from Chile. My friends and I knew that with Chilean wines, we could get the best bang for our buck!
Last fall, I had the opportunity to taste four wines from Concha y Toro’s Gran Reserve Series with TasteLive and we were happily surprised to find that you still get a BIG BANG for your buck with Chilean wine. Since Foods from Chile is hosting a contest to take a blogger to Chile (!!), I figured I’d throw my hat into the ring and turn my notes into a long over due blog post and submission. (UPDATE: Vote for me here please!! http://promoshq.wildfireapp.com/website/302/contests/310099/voteable_entries?page=1)
Plus there’s ANOTHER contest that you can join in! Celebrate the “Affordable Luxury” of the Gran Reserva Serie Riberas reviewed below: enter their photo contest for chance to WIN $1,000! Extra points for mentions of these wines, wine, cameras, and rivers! http://ow.ly/hjsCr Here’s my submission: Continue reading →
wine predator.............. gwendolyn alley 