The Wines of Chile

The South American country of Chile has been producing wine since the 1500s. Bordeaux varietals began arriving in Chile in the 1850s and in the early 20th century, Chile saw a period of mass production and mass consumption of wines. Then, in the mid-1980s, the wine industry in Chile was reborn and revitalized with new free market policies, new plantings of international varieties and a new focus on exporting its wines.

Chile is a country that spans 2700 miles of land from north to south but is only 100 miles wide. Its land, which is between the Pacific Ocean and the Andes Mountains, is very favorable to grape growing.

The Pacific Ocean brings cooling breezes to its coastal vineyards, while the shelter of the Coastal mountain range makes Chile's Central Valley relatively warm and dry. Along the eastern edge of the country, in the foothills of the Andes, high altitudes and rivers make for a different terroir again.

Unlike so much of the wine growing parts of the world, Chile's vineyards have remained protected to this day from the devastating effects of the phylloxera aphid that wiped out so many of the world’s vineyards.

While Chile has multiple wine regions, let’s focus on two regions with many differences yet so many similarities - Maipo and Colchagua. And, that will be the focus for next time. Cheers!

Behind the Cork™ - Spring is Right Around the Corner and so Are Rosés

Spring is Around the Corner!

And so too is Rosé season!

We are about three weeks from the start of Spring. That means warmer days ahead. And, it also means rosé season is coming soon too!

Look for these pink wines and pink sparkler in up-coming Behind the Cork™ features!

Cheers!

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Disclosure of Wine Sample Submission: I received this sample at no cost for review. The opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Samples Provided by Mack & Schuhle Wines via Donna White Communications

Ever Wonder Why Wine and Cheese Pair So Well?

Wine and cheese. They just go together. But, there's actually a pretty good reason that this pairing typically works together so well.

It’s due to the combination of an astringent element, wine, that gives your mouth a dry feeling and a fatty element, cheese, to make the mouthfeel slippery.

We generally don’t like to have an overly fatty coating in our mouth. And, we usually don’t like to have our mouth dried-out or puckered up. So, we seek just the right balance. That’s why we find a sip of wine so refreshing after nibbling on a piece of cheese. They are opposites that create a balanced mouthfeel.

Red wines can be rather tannic due to the stems, seeds and stems of the grapes. Tannin is also introduced into red wines from the oak barrels that are so commonly used for aging. All this tannin, especially in young red wines, can leave your mouth with a dry, chalky feeling. This astringent sensation, on its own, isn't a good one. But, the fats contained in cheese act to balance out the tannins in red wines. They just work together!

Cheeses also pair well with white wines. But, not in conjunction with tannin. White wines have little to no tannin. They can have bold acidity. And, that acidity yields a mouth-watering sensation which can be very refreshing. So when a creamy soft white cheese is paired with the acidic notes in white wines, it balances things out.

It’s very natural that wine and cheese strike such a perfect balance. It’s been a famous pairing for centuries. So, give it a try! Cheers!

Behind the Cork™ - Vina Robles The Arborist Red Blend

2017 Vina Robles The Arborist Red Blend ($18)

The Arborist is dedicated to the founder of Vina Robles, Hans Nef, and named for the arborist who saved the life of the iconic 300+ year-old oak tree featured on the label. Mr. Nef was known for his love of trees; he named the winery for them (Robles is Spanish for oaks), and put an oak tree on the first Vina Robles wine label. That same tree still exists on their label, and in their Jardine Vineyard as well.

Through Vina Roble’s partnership with One Tree Planted, they plant trees with a portion of the proceeds from every bottle of The Arborist that they sell.​

The Arborist Red Blend is made mainly of varieties grown in their Huerhuero Vineyard, located directly behind the winery in the rolling hills of Paso Robles. It is produced with a blend of 44% Syrah, 32% Petite Sirah, 18% Grenache and 6% Mourvèdre.

The clusters are cold soaked for two days prior to fermentation. Various pump-over techniques were implemented during progressive stages of fermentation to enhance fruit extraction and balance out the tannin structure. The wine was then aged in both small and large format French, Hungarian and American oak barrels for 18 months

This is a fruit-forward wine with complex flavors, moderate tannin and a nice finish that goes well with most any meal and is wonderful just by the glass.

Vina Robles The Arborist Red Blend is affordable and attainable making it a great fit as the Behind the Cork™ Wine of the Week. Cheers!

Did You Know Cream of Tartar Comes from the Winemaking Process?

You may be familiar with Cream of Tartar. It’s commonly added to egg whites for meringue, it adds loft to baked goods and helps to make fluffier whipped cream. But, did you that Cream of Tartar is a natural by-product of the wine making process?

It comes from tartaric acid, a naturally occurring substance in grapes. During fermentation, the tartaric acid will form in wine making vessels and line the inside with a white sediment. The sediment is removed and ground into a fine white powder, which we know as Cream of Tartar.

Cream of Tartar is also known as Potassium Bitartrate or Potassium Acid Tartrate.

Tartrates are known in the wine industry as “wine diamonds.” Not only do they form in wine making vessels, but they can also appear inside a wine bottle or attach to the inside of the wine’s cork.

These tiny, crystalline deposits are completely harmless. But, winemakers use a process called cold stabilization to remove tartrates from wine before it’s bottled. It’s most is common for white wines to be cold stabilized because consumers commonly store white wines at colder temperatures, which increases the risk for these ‘wine diamonds’ to form in the bottle. Cold stabilization is done mostly for aesthetic reasons so that consumers doesn’t have to deal with the ‘diamonds.’

If you do find these ‘wine diamonds’ on the cork you can simply wipe them away with a cloth. Or, if you see this sediment in the bottle, you can simply decant it to leave the crystals behind. But, either way, don’t worry about seeing these crystals - they are harmless. And, very useful in baking! Cheers!