DRINK WINE w U '" :0 0 . Of> w '" BY MARGARET SWAINE w U '" :0 0 Of> w hot W1nes w Of> -<: u u 0 dO ~ 0 '" >- dO >- :r: ~ -<: '" 0 0 e- Worm your palate and your summer-deprived senses O :r: ~ with sun-drenched offerings from South America. - -- 1Ihe first time I traveled to Chile I Caine goes bananas over his best military Pinochet government, pre- eipected a country wild with hot friend's daughter. What I found ceded by the chaotic time of Latin blood where the sun beat down was quite different. First, the country Allende's socialist revolution. Even to the rhythm of samba. I must have had a distinctly European flare. with democracy finally in place, been influenced by the movie Blame Second, the year was 1990 and it had people were still subdued by the It On Rio-where middle-aged Michael just emerged from years under the shadow of their turbulent politics. C""'" 0 "'n"", """Trn ~A~~ " DRINK WINE HOT WINES FROM HOT CLIMES -~ Chile's European connection helps explain why the wines are so good today. The politics clarify why making and marketing the wines took so long. The roots. of Chilean wine go deep, back to the Spanish conquista- dors who planted vines in 1551. Later, in the 1800s, wealthy Chileans travelling to Europe were inspired by the great Bordeaux of the day. They brought back cuttings of varieties, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon and Carmenere. While those early links with Europe set the pattern, recent developments in the wine industry have confirmed it. In 1979, Spanish winemaker Miguel Torres jolted the Chilean wine industry into the modern century by revamping a wine estate in Curic6 Valley, south of Santiago. In doing so, he showed the world how foreigners have since fol- In 1988, Chateau Lafite- took a half-interest in ~ Los Vascos, an estate In the ... ~ Colchagua Valley. Since then, two Bordeaux chateaux owners have cre- ated Domaine Paul Bruno, the own- ers of Grand Marnier have started Casa Lapostolle, Chateau Mouton Rothschild has teamed up with Concha y Taro-and more. In addi- tion, about half of today's Chilean wineries use foreign winemakers to achieve international appeal. Consta nt sunshine a nd plenty of ova i10ble water from the Andes 9 ua ra ntee fru it wi II ripen f so we co n expect Chilean wines to be fruity and easy to drink. One legacy of the early European Andes guarantee fruit will ripen, so match. Among these are Sena from a influence is the aforementioned we can expect Chilean wines to be Mondavi-Errazuriz joint venture, Carmen ere, a variety close enough to fruity and easy to drink. But they are Clos Apalta from Lapostolle, and Merlot to have once been mistaken much more. Their top reds can chal- Almaviva from Mouton Rothschild for it. Those Merlot cuttings brought lenge the best and, at anything with Concha Y Toro. from Bordeaux in the 19th century between $65 and $85, have prices to CONTINUED ON PAGE 102 were actually field mixes that had an estimated 60 to 90 percent of Carmenere. The differences between the two were only officially recog- nized in 1996 in Chile. Meanwhile the variety was long ago phased out in France, despite a reputation for fine quality, as it proved an irregular yielder when grafted. Its low acidity gives it a sweet-savoury taste of ,qlackberry, blueberry and spice. ., 1 It was Carmenere from newly minted wineries such as Monte Gras ,. ~bd Casa Silva and revitalized his- toric ones like Laura Hartwig that caught my attention when I returned to Chile a decade later in 2000. It makes wonderfully smooth, deeply flavoured reds, as a pure varietal or blended with others to add further intrigue and structure. On that visit, I was also impressed at the growing number of super pre- mium reds. Constant sunshine and plenty of available water from the DRINK WINE HOT WINES FROM HOT CLIME Red Wines to War t r Ch ill CASA LAPOSTOLLE ERRAZURIZ MERlOT CABERNET SAUVIGNON LCBO297BB7 $12.90 LCBO 39BBOO $14.75 CURICOVALLEY,CHILE RAPELVALLEY,CHILE Medium supple body with leafy undergrowth, vanilla and A full bodied, ripe blackberry- and cassis-flavoured red with dark chocolate hints to the good fruit ripeness. velvety tannins and cedar notes from 12 months in French oak. MATCH: Duck, pork roast. MATCH: Roast beef, steak, meat stews. SANTA RITA CABERNET SAUVIGNON RESERVA CARMEN MERlOT LCBO 253B72 $11.95 LCBO 24B625 $10.95 MAIPO VALLEY,CHILE CENTRAL VALLEY,CHILE Great value, some herbaceous edge to the nose, then ripe berry Medium bodied, ripe with soft supple tannins, its character is fruit, vanilla oak and soft tannins with a spiced finish. red fruit with some black pepper and herbs. Bouquet has hints MATCH: lamb, spicy sausages. of smoky powdered chocolate. MATCH: lamb, game birds, pepper steak or barbecued meats. VINA CARMEN GRANDE VIDURE CABERNET SAUVIGNON RESERVE CONCHA YTORO LCBO439166 $15.85 CASlllERO DEL DIABLO MERlOT MAIPO VALLEY,CHILE LCBO 4270BB $10.35 Grande Vidure is another name for Carmenere. Aged 10 RAPELVALLEY,CHILE months in French and American odk. Huge warmth with velvety Ripe spiced berry with smooth tannins, full body and some minty rich ripe fruit and vanilla oak. Chewy and dense but balanced herbal tones. and impressive. MATCH: lamb, red meats. MATCH: Grilled meats, Iamb, beef. TRUMPETERMERlOT ARESTI MONTEMAR CARMENERE LCBO 4679B5 $13.45 LCBO6056B3 $9.60 MENDOZA, ARGENTINA CURICO VALLEY,CHILE Aged in French and American oak. Cinnamon spiced oak Spiced, ripe and jammy with blueberry, blackberry, herbs and throughout with mellow ripeness of fruit. Tobacco, plum and black pepper flavours. Dense and full bodied. berry flavours with baldnce and decent intensity. MATCH: Steaks, spicy dishes. MATCH: Duck, game birds. destination, and in the Picton Area HOT WINES was a challenge. At one stage, per you'll find Waring House, www.war- FROM HOT CLIMES capita wine consumption topped 90 inghouse.com. This past fall it intro- FROM PAGE 80 liters per year. Only recently, when duced a new series of wine apprecia- Half of the production is in the the figure dropped in half, did wine- tion classes conducted by sommelier hands of three wineries, though in makers turn their attention to over- Andrew Laliberte. Should you venture the past 15 years the number of seas buyers. This meant modernizing to Huron County, the Little wineries has blossomed to over 110, the wine infrastructure and making Inn of Bayfield, www.littieinn.com, giving lots of choice to the consumer. cleaner, brighter, frui tier wInes. is a wonderful spot for a wine and It's a sign of confidence in the quality Argen tinians traditionally drank dine retreat. Near Collingwood? Try potential that large land owners and merely vinous wines-low in tannin, Silver Springs Culinary Retreat at growers like Aresti have put their fruit and acidity. Foreign influence www. silverspringsretreat.com. money behind winemaking after 50 has changed things. Investing heavy- If you would rather stay home, years of selling only in bulk. On my weights from abroad have included consider inviting some friends over visit to Aresti last March, I was LVMH of France, Allied Domecq of to watch the latest of the LCBO's impressed with the marketing savvy Britain, Kendall- Jackson of California educational programming-a video and plans to create a high-quality and Concha y Toro of Chile. As in series called Shelf Talk. This series prestigious brand. Chile, the 1990s saw famous foreign of videos takes you to destinations On this trip I learned that in wine consultants imparting winery around the world where you'll visit 2000 Chile had an abundance of crop wisdom there. Over US$250 million the vineyards, cellars and regions that suggested oversupply. The coun- has been plowed into making new that produce the fine products we try had proved so successful at grow- wineries and refurbishing old ones in enJoy. The videos are available in ing grapes it was now time to thin the past five years. select LCBO stores and online at crops, drop volume and up the quali- Most of the country's wme IS www.lcbogifts.com. To date, there are ty for even the simplest table wine. from Mendoza, a dry sunny district nine in the series, with titles such as Good soil, low yields, old vines and close to the Andes. The grape portfo- "American Whiskey," "Wines of talented winemaking is the formula lio goes beyond the popular Ontario," "Champagne and Sparkling for greatness. We can expect much of Chardonnay, Merlot and Cabernet to Wine," "Tequila," "Wines of South Chile in the future. include such reds as Malbec, Syrah, Africa," "Port," "Beers of Belgium," On the other hand, whither goes Tempranillo and Italian varieties "Icewine," and "Wines of the Argentina? A massive country, the such as Sangiovese and Bonarda. In American Pacific Northwest," with world's fifth largest producer of wine, whites, the aromatic Torronte is the plenty more to come. They are best it was poised last year to conquer the nearest thing to an indigenous vari- viewed while sharing a glass of the world. While vineyards have grown in etal. But will Argentina's free-falling featured topic. EQ Argentina since the mid-16th centu- economy spur exports or cause for- ry, until the 1990s quantity was eigners to flee? Certainly we're seeing Michael Fagan has been helping LCBO emphasized over quality. Simply more and better quality in the LCBO and VINTAGEScustomers make the right wine decisions for more than 20 years. meeting internal Argentine demand in 2002, so only time will tell.