Chile, one of the largest exporters of wine to Jamaica, celebrated their independence last week. The Embassy of Chile and Chilean Ambassador to Jamaica His Excellency Alfredo Garcia and Mrs. Luz Santa Maria De Garcia hosted a very well attended cocktail party to commemorate this event. As I sipped on the deceptively delicious Pisco Sour, I informed the Ambassador that I still have several bottles from the leading Chilean wine producers that I would love to open sooner than later. Always ready to enjoy great wine, His Excellency readily agreed to host a small tasting session; Chef Colin Hylton was in close proximity and immediately was on board to provide some snacks – Colin’s idea of snacks are, by the way, anything but!

Chile is known worldwide mainly for its Cabernet Sauvignon, but I have been really loving the Carmenère in recent years, so I decided to make Carmenère the feature wine varietal of our tasting session which was enjoyed by British High Commissioner His Excellency Howard Drake who was British ambassador to Chile from 2005 to 2009, French Ambassador His Excellency Ambassador Marc-Olivier Gendry who was posted in Chile from 1989 to 1993, former Lascelles Wine Brand Manager Debra Taylor and Bin 26’s Kerri-Anne Reckord.

Carmenère

Carmenère might have been imported into Chile from France in the 1850s just before the phylloxera (small, sap-eating, greenish insect) outbreak that destroyed most of the European vineyards . For over 150 years, however, this grape grew in Chile where they thought it was a clone of Merlot. It was only as recently as 1994 when a French ampelographer (Ampelography is the study of grape varieties) Professor Jean-Michel Boursiquot visited the region and enlightened their darkness. Now acknowledged as Chile’s signature grape, Carmenère is the deepest, darkest, purplest of all red grapes that needs a long growing season to reach its fullest potential. Wines made by this varietal are usually rich in berry fruits and spice (think blackberries and black pepper), with smooth, well-rounded tannins, making this a very pleasing and easy to drink varietal.

What we drank

Morandé Carmenère Reserva 2007 – Incredibly fruity nose — loads of ripe blackberry and cassis fruit. Round, rich, full, with deep, lingering fruit and very nice balance. This is a full-bodied wine that goes down way too easily.

Santa Carolina Carmenère Reserva 2010 An approachable wine, deep fuchsia in colour, notes of plums and bay leaf, spiced red currants and blackberries on the nose and on the palate pronounced weight and silky tannins, notes of spiced red currants that linger on the finish.

Montes Purple Angel 2006 – 90+ points from all the major wine critics. Distinctive flavours of intense blueberry, blackberry and chocolate. Montes Purple Angel is layered, structured, and balanced. Intense purple in colour, this wine has distinctive and delicate hints of chocolate and cigar box aromas. The Carmenère grapes from the Apalta estate provide elegance, spiciness, and dark fruit flavours. The Petit Verdot, also from Apalta, adds structure along with the wildness of blackberries. Finally, the Carmenère from Marchigue -a cooler area – adds spicy and lively notes. This wine is full-bodied, with a considerable amount of ripe tannins that infuse it with grip and structure.

This month, choose a wine from Chile!

Chris Reckord — Entrepreneur & Wine Enthusiast. He and his wife Kerri-Anne are part-owners of Jamaica’s only Wine Bar – Bin 26 Wine Bar in Devon House, Kingston. Send your questions and comments to creckord@gmail.com . Follow us on twitter.com/DeVineWines