When I was first learning about wine and first discovered Chilean wines, I thought Chile was something new on the scene. I never would have guessed that some wineries there had been operating since the 1800’s. I suppose the “new on the scene” perception was due to a combination of my lack of knowledge about […]
Although this is another Chilean wine, it has roots in Piedmont Italy. The founder, Pedro Pavone Voglino, immigrated to the Maipo Valley region of Chile from Piedmont in 1917. For many years he grew grapes to sell to other wineries until he established Viña Santa Ema with his son. They started marketing bottles of Santa Ema wine […]
I would guess that the Bronco Wine Company produces more of the bargain-priced wine brands you see on the shelves than any other producer. I could be wrong, but they have a LOT of different brands. And Grove Ridge is one of them. The story behind a wine like this isn’t going to involve a […]
Yes, it’s another merlot review. This one comes from the Rapel Valley region in Chile and it’s made with organically grown grapes. Emiliana is focused on biodynamic and organic agriculture in their vineyards, embracing a philosophy that these practices result in healthier vines—which in turn, they say, produces better wines. Farming organically doesn’t just mean […]
We’re still going through the merlot tastings (although we’re almost to the end of this series). And we’re also coming out of St. Patrick’s Day weekend, so I thought I’d share a merlot that offers a little green. This is another Chilean merlot, from the Colchagua Valley region. So the green here isn’t really an […]
It is time to, once again, talk about Chile. Today’s merlot comes from Terranoble, a Chilean producer with vineyards covering 320 hectares in the Maule, Colchagua and Casablanca valleys. They’ve been around since 1993 and, like many producers, have a number of different tiers to their wines. This one is from the “varietal” tier, which […]
The many personalities of merlot make this varietal interesting, but it also means that some of those personalities are more pleasant than others. This Santa Alicia wine comes from the Maipo Valley region in Chile and it’s a merlot with an in-your-face personality. This merlot offers a spicy nose, with heavy black pepper, cherry, olive […]
We’ve reviewed several merlots from California and Chile over the past weeks, but how about one from Argentina. When it comes to Argentine wines, it seems like malbec gets all the attention these days, but that’s not the only good wine coming from this country. Tilia wines come from the Mendoza wine region in Argentina. […]
The Hacienda wine brand has a history dating back to 1973, when Hacienda Wine Cellars was founded by Frank Bartholomew in Sonoma Valley, California. However, in 1992 the Franzia family purchased the rights to the Hacienda brand and it is now part of the Bronco Wine Company portfolio. The original Hacienda building was turned into the Bartholomew […]
One of the things I like about merlot is how it can take on different personalities. This one, from the Maipo Valley region in Chile, is interesting with chocolate and spice notes that are rather unique. While it’s an interesting wine, it’s not the most elegant. In fact, I’d call it bold and brash. It […]
