Chilean Reds Mixed Half Dozen

For many, Chile has become the byword for safe, boring plonk but we think it’s time to look again! To many people’s surprise Chile has plenty of interesting sites in different valleys which can all generate unique terroir, thereby giving a wine individuality.

Let’s start with the region closest to Santiago, that of Maipo. One of the first valleys to be planted with red varieties, it has become a major source of great, cool-climate Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot with free-draining, gravelly soils, not that dissimilar to the Médoc in Bordeaux. First up is the staple Chilean Merlot, where it’s worth putting the Santa Ema Select Terroir Merlot up against any good value AOC Bordeaux or Bordeaux Supérieur for comparison. Friendly, warm and round, you’ll find it copes well with the competition as does the Tanners Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon which comes out of the Colchagua Valley, the next valley to the South. Our own label is fantastic everyday drinking with smooth, round flavours of blackcurrants held together by soft, ripe tannins. And while you think of comparisons, a word on Carmenère, an old Bordeaux variety that Chile has taken to its heart. Originally mistaken for Merlot, there’s a leafy freshness that you’ll find in those made in cooler locations, like the Cucao Reserva Especial Carmenère.