I’ve done numerous wine reviews for which the background involved a family-run winery passed down from one generation to the next, but this one is a little different. The roots of Martellotto Wines go back for generations and began in Italy, but the story now continues in California. Greg Martellotto’s grandfather immigrated to the US […]
Carménère , or Carmenere, was once one of the grapes of Bordeaux. It was always a problematic grape, due to late ripening, but brings some unique qualities to the wine in which it’s used. In particular, it’s known for giving a green pepper characteristic to wines, which is intensified when the grapes are harvested under-ripe. […]
Viña Valdivieso originated as Champagne Valdivieso way back in 1879. It was the first producer in South America to make sparkling wine, and didn’t even begin producing still wine until 1980 when they expanded and formed Viña Valdivieso. The grapes for this Carménère are from Central Valley, which means that they aren’t from one region, […]
Viu Manent is a family-owned winery in Colchagua Valley, Chile. Founded in 1935, it originally under the name Vinos Viu. Seventy-some years after its inception, the winery is still run by descendants of its founders. The grapes for this wine come from a vineyard named La Capilla, near the town of Peralillo. It’s 100% Carménère […]
There’s a thing that wine bloggers do called “Wine Blogging Wednesday.” It’s an event that happens once every month… usually on a Wednesday. The idea is that several wine bloggers all write about the same topic that day. Then there’s a host, who summarizes the collective thoughts and points you to all the writers for […]
Espiritu de Chile is a joint venture between A. Racke from Germany and Aresti Vineyards in Chile. And while they have a long list of awards, accolades and good reviews from well-respected reviewers I don’t expect they’ll be adding the 2007 Classic Carménère to that list. I guess not all the wines I review can […]
We’ve previously reviewed a number of good wines from Cono Sur, and I’d even go so far as to say I’m a fan. The breadth of the wines they produce is phenomenal and the quality of what we’ve tasted has been consistently good. I think of them as an innovative and experimental producer from Chile, […]
Viña La Rosa is one of the oldest wineries in Chile, established in 1824 by don Francisco Ignacio Ossa y Mercado. That’s a name and a half, if you ask me. I’m not going to get into a lot of background on this wine, but instead jump ahead to, “90 alert, 90 alert!!!” As a […]
The story of Odjfell Vineyards began about 25 years ago when Norwegian ship owner Dan Odfjell acquired property in the Maipo Valley of Chile. However, the planting of vineyards didn’t begin until about 15 years ago. They now have vineyards in a few different Chilean appellations. In addition to wine production, they also breed Norwegian […]
Let’s check out another ten dollar Carménère today, this one from Santa Carolina. Although the popularity of Chilean wines has only recently exploded in the US, Santa Carolina has been around since 1875. Founded by Luis Pereyra Cotapos, it was named after his wife, Carolina Iñiguez Vicuña. The roots of wine production at Santa Carolina […]
