Photo courtesy of Flickr user Rivard
Last week your intrepid correspondent (moi) went on a little trip to Patagonia, Chile. Of course, I sipped only local wines at my hotel, The Singular (where, incidentally, the sommelier doubles as owner of a local craft brewery) and any other place that would let me, including the airport in Santiago. I sampled a fair share of Carmenère (Chile’s national grape), Sauvignon Blanc, Syrah, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, amazed at the country’s diversity when it comes to wine production.
Here are three of my favorites, all of which are available in Wisconsin and cost less than $15 per bottle.
2011 Lapostolle “Casa” Sauvignon Blanc (Rapal Valley, Chile, $15) is a drier, lighter-body style of Sauvignon Blanc (with 11% Semillón), expressing lime notes with equally balanced mineralities and acidity, winding into a long finish. (www.casalapostolle.com)
2010 Tamaya Wines Carmenère (Limari Valley, Chile, $13) begins with a nose of grilled meat, followed by black-cherry notes. Perfect for pairing with steaks, it’s also a solid match with ethnic, spicy dishes. (www.tamayawines.cl)
2010 Veramonte Winery Reserva Sauvignon Blanc (Casablanca Valley, Chile, $13) offers a crisp green-apple bouquet and a long finish, with plenty of grapefruit notes in between. (www.veramonte.cl)
WINE EVENT OF THE WEEK
This Saturday, Whole Foods Market (at Prospect and North Avenues on the East Side) wants you to drop by for more than a sack of groceries. A free tasting of Spanish wines, from noon to 4 p.m., will showcase the Austin, Tex., based retailer’s wine stash stemming from that part of the world. (Side note: Did you know that Whole Foods employs two wine buyers who have been successful at scoring exclusive lots from around the world?) Equally cool: The price points are often affordable. So, head on over to the store on Saturday to check out the, um, Spanish Acquisition.
WINE DEAL OF THE WEEK
Last spring I found myself at a wine bar in a Detroit suburb, where the bartender practically demanded I try the latest wine craze: Coffee Pinotage, essentially Pinotage (Pinot Noir and Carignan) that smells and tastes like java. After some hesitation – a wine can’t really mimic coffee, right? – I caved. And fell in love. Ben Christiansen, owner of Waterford Wine Company on Brady Street, is also into these sultry, full-bodied Pinotages from South Africa with espresso notes that will bowl you over. This week he’s selling 2010 Barista “Coffee Pinotage” (South Africa) for the low price of $9.99, normally $15.99. Call the shop (414-289-9463) to place your order.
WINE OF THE WEEK
Earlier this week, Kristen Spelletich cruised through the state to promote her new line of wines (Spell), which became available in Milwaukee only recently. As an offshoot from her mother’s winery, Spelletich Wine Cellars, in Napa Valley, the 33-year-old’s label is funky and artsy – and at a lower price point. Over dinner at Hinterland she uncorked a few bottles for me. The 2006 Spell Severed Head Red Wine ($18) is a full-bodied and fruit-forward beauty with a eucalyptus nose, bright red cherries, deep complexity and – towards the end of the palate – cocoa before a peppery finish.
