Thursday's Wine: Santa Rita 120 Carmenere 2010

Our wine choice this week hails from the vineyards of Vina Santa Rita in Maipo Valley, Chile. Personally,  I have long been a fan of Chilean wines (Anyone who knows me, knows this) and I was thrilled to finally get the chance to try a with from the Santa Rita 120 line. Fruity aromas and spicy hints tantalized my nose. This is a smooth wine that is delightful to serve with just about anything or you can drink it alone. We on the other hand had it with Penne alla Vodka! Try it today! This wine definitely will not disappoint!

Price: 12.00 and up  

Thursday's Wine: Cono Sur Ocio Pinot Noir 2007

 

Ocio is from the oldest Pinot Noir vineyards in Chile.  Beautiful and concentrated ruby red color of high intensity. Complex and delicate black fruit and white flower aromas, together with violet notes, combine harmonically with sweet spices and chocolate. In mouth it shows intense sweet fruit, elegance, rich texture and concentrated flavors. This wine is a perfect companion for red meats, poultry, duck and mature cheeses. It’s an excellent option to serve next to Easter Island tuna fish, or different kinds of rice, such as risottos or sushi.

Note:  At Cono Sur, winemakers use geese, sheep, insects and plants to control pests, diseases and weeds.

{Courtesy of Publix Grape Magazine and Cork's Out}

Thursday's Wine: Miguel Torres Tormenta Viognier 2008

Today's wine pick is a Viognier from Chile. This is a white wine produced in Chile’s Central Valley, using Viognier grapes. Tormenta is a great wine, made from organically grown grapes. It has a beautiful pale yellow color. Intense aromas of fruit of grapefruit and flowers (roses). In the mouth this wine is fresh, silky and exhibits fine acidity. The finish is long and memorable.

Viognier is good for some intriguing food matches. Viognier is made for bold, exotic dishes. Terrific with shellfish: scallops, lobster, crab, and shrimp -- try using seasonings such as cinnamon, cardamom, coriander, ginger (in Moroccan tagines, for instance, as well as mild Indian curries and Caribbean dishes); For lovers of  nuts, cashews and macadamias work well with this wine. As for cheeses, try Fresh chèvre, gruyère, aged gouda, and fench brie.

Priced under $10.00

Today's Wine Favorite: Carmenere

Santa Alicia Reserva Carmenere 2006

As a wine consultant, I can tell you that you don't have to pay an arm and a leg for a great bottle of wine.  Today's wine is bold, ripe and delicious, with tiers of rich plum, chocolate and black cherry flavor, with elegant toasted oak and smooth polished tannins. Santa Alicia Reserva Carmenere 2006 is reasonably priced under $20.00.

The carmenere grape has a very interesting history. It was originally planted in the Médoc region of Bordeaux, France, where it was used to produce deep red wines and occasionally used for blending purposes in the same manner as Petit Verdot. In 1867, the phylloxera plague destroyed all the vineyards of Europe, afflicting the Carménère grapevines in particular such that for many years the grape was presumed extinct. Or so they thought. Cuttings of Carménère were imported by Chilean growers from Bordeaux during the 19th century, where they were frequently confused with Merlot vines. As it turns out, they were planted in the valleys around Santiago, Chile. Thanks to Chile's minimal rainfall during the growing season and the protection of the country's natural boundaries, growers produced healthier crops of Carménère and there was no spread of phylloxera. During most of the 20th century Carménère was inadvertently collected and processed together with Merlot grapes. Chilean growers believed that this grape was actually a clone of Merlot. In the mid 1990's it was confirmed that an earlier-ripening vine was Bordeaux Carménère, not Merlot. The Chilean Department of Agriculture officially recognized Carménère as a distinct variety in 1998.Today, Carménère thrives primarily in Chile's Colchagua Valley, Rapel Valley, and Maipo Province.