A couple weeks ago, I published a comparison of two bottles of Cabernet Sauvignon from Chile — one of them from the Maipo Valley and the other from Colchagua Valley. That was round one of this face off, today I have round two. In round one, the bottles I compared were both 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, […]
Chilean Wine
Cabernet Sauvignon: Maipo vs Colchagua, Round 1
I’ve been touting Chilean wines as outstanding bargains for several years now. And while I’ve highlighted wines from different regions of Chile, it can be difficult to keep track of which Chilean wine regions are best for different varieties of wine. I’ve been at this for years, tasted hundreds of Chilean wines and read extensively […]
Review: Viña Tarapacá Gran Reserva Red Blend
When I began reviewing wines, back in 2007, I quickly recognized Chile as an outstanding region when it came to value. The Chilean wine industry has blossomed even further since then, and while there are still great values to be found, the quality, diversity and innovation coming from Chile give even more reasons to give […]
Review: Koyle Gran Reserva Carmenere
Carménère is a grape with a great story. It was one of the original six grapes permitted in red Bordeaux wines. Then it was thought to be extinct, after phylloxera wiped out most of the vineyards in Europe in 1867. But then in the mid-1990’s Carménère was rediscovered growing in Chile, where it had been incorrectly […]
Review: Maquis, Cabernet Franc
Cabernet Franc is a grape variety I don’t write about often. I have nothing against it, in fact I love a good Cab Franc. I just don’t come across it as often as other varieties. If you’re not familiar with Cabernet Franc, think of it as similar to Cabernet Sauvignon except a little bit lighter […]
Chilean Wine – Value and Deliciousness Revisited
In the early days of this website, back in 2007 and 2008, Chile was one of my top wine regions to find good wines at bargain prices. At the time, it was a wine region that was going through a revival. In the late 1990s and early 2000s a number of new wineries were established […]
Casillero del Diablo, Red Blend – Boldness in a bottle
Red blends seem to be all the rage over the past few years for wine lovers on a budget who want red wine with big flavors. By doing a blend, winemakers have more opportunities to shape the wine into something they think will resonate with consumers. Add a little bit of this and a little […]
Gran Reserva Serie Riberas, Carmenere
A couple weeks ago I wrote about a carmenere from Concha y Toro under their Marques de Casa Concha brand that really hit the mark. In that post I commented about my general avoidance of carmenere due to it often being disappointing. But now here I am a couple weeks later singing praises for another […]
Marques de Casa Concha, Carmenere
When I first learned about carmenere several years ago I was enchanted. The idea that this Bordeaux grape, which was thought to be extinct, was rediscovered in South America is a great story. Although I was enchanted, I soon found myself avoiding carmenere due to quality issues. In addition to being a rediscovered grape, it’s […]
Marques de Casa Concha, Cabernet Sauvignon
A couple days ago I was thinking about the price limit I use on this site. As a general rule of thumb I have focused on wines priced at $20 or less since I launched the site. There have been some exceptions over the years, but that’s been the target price. However it’s been over […]