Wines of Chile Tasting

Of notable wine countries, Chile, I must admit, has been one of the ones I was least familar with; at least until Tuesday, when I had the chance to visit the Wines of Chile tasting. Possibly the most surprising fact I learned, however, was not about Chilean wine, but about the LCBO. Until now, I had no idea that the LCBO's Vintages Online sold some wines that are not available in the bricks-and-mortar stores. An advantage over some online wine retailers is that it allows wine buyers to order a single bottle of unusual and premium wines rather than being required to buy a case.

For instance, the dark red-brown Altaïr 2005 (LCBO #38430) is only available online. Priced at $65, its scent reminded me of the sea, and it tasted of woody things like cedar and pine. It's a wine that's recommended to be aged for two to four more years. Same with the Emiliana Coyam 2007 (LCBO #63891). At $29.95, it's a pretty dark red colour with a flavour of berries and maybe balsamic vinegar. It's also expected to age well.

If you want to really impress your dinner guests with a rarity, though, you'll head to shops as soon as the October Vintages catalogue comes out; there will only be 25 bottles in Ontario of the 2009 Casa Lapostolle Borobo. Priced at $99, it's an inky-red blend of carmenère, syrah and pinot noir that offers a combination of strong, dark flavours like blackberry and tobacco. It could also apparently age well for as much as five years.

I was joking with one of my co-tasters that a decent cheater's tip for Chilean wine might be to head for wineries that start with the letter E. I enjoyed wines from El Principal, Emiliana and Errazuriz, especially the Emiliana 2010 Novas Viognier, a pale yellow wine with a celery scent and a nicely balanced apple-pineapple taste. It's a good value at $14.95, but not available in LCBOs. However they are carrying the Emiliana Coyam ($29.95, LCBO #63891), a very dark raspberry-coloured wine that tasted like rich raspberries, leather and tobacco. It's quite high alcohol: 14.5%.

I was one of the people who really liked the 2007 Don Maximiano Founder's Reserve, also not appearing on LCBO lists. At $79.95 it can't be called a bargain wine, but I enjoyed its rich aromatic berry scent and its rich, tanniny, raisiny taste, which comes mainly from cabernet sauvignon grapes with some merlot.

One section of the event was devoted to wines produced "naturally", including some that are organic or about to be certified. I found many of them to be delicious. Among the whites I liked the pale yellow Carmen 2009 Nativa Single Vineyard Gran Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon, which is Certified Organic ($19.95, LCBO #975359), for its very pleasant grapefruit taste; the Cono Sur 2011 Organic Chardonnay ($11.95, LCBO #230565), which was pale yellow with a very slight sparkle and a sharp, clean citrus-green apple taste, and the Emiliana 2011 Adobe Sauvignon Blanc ($12.95, LCBO #211912), another pale, clean-tasting wine redolent of bright lemon. It's due for release in LCBOs in Spring 2012. I especially enjoyed the organically grown Via Wines 2010 Chilcas Organic Sauvignon Blanc, sadly, not in the LCBO. It's a very pale white with a bouquet of lemon, lychee and grapefruit.

Among the reds, I enjoyed the gently spicy Yali Wetland Cabernet Sauvignon-Carmenère, the dark and juicy San Pedro 2010 35 South Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot B.O. ($12.95 LCBO #218859) and the fruity and spicy San Esteban 2010 In Situ Cabernet Sauvignon Eco-Reserva, all priced under $15. (The pricier Emiliana Coyam is also "natural".)

Having finally taken a step towards learning about the diverse geography and prolific production of Chile and its winemakers, I'm now looking forward to learning more!

Thanks to Alexandra Hood for the photo of me with affable pourer Michael Anderson.