From Mendoza, a short one-hour flight
over the Andes into Santiago, Chile, set the
stage for the next four days. Chile rests on the
western foothills of the Andes in a long, narrow strip bordered by the Pacific Ocean to the
west. The climate is dry, with ample sunshine
and warm enough temperatures to promote
long growing seasons.
Like Argentina, Chile has undertaken a
major shift toward quality wine production
through modernization and a number of key
partnerships with prestigious wineries around
the world.
Wine production is spread among several
key areas. To the north, Aconcagua comprises
two diverse regions: the Aconcagua Valley, a
warmer area for red grape cultivation, and the
Casablanca Valley, near the coast, where cool-climate varieties (Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir
and Chardonnay) are grown. The Central
Valley contains the the picturesque Maipo and
Rapel regions, and the Curicó and Maule
regions lie to the south.
The stars are Carmenère, Merlot, Syrah,
Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay
and Sauvignon Blanc. Carmenère, a red grape
variety originally brought to Chile from
Bordeaux, displays Cabernet-like structure
with Merlot’s softness.
We started at Santa Rita in the Maipo
region. In a winery set in a spectacular park-like
area, we sampled a full line of wines and particularly enjoyed the bright, crisp Sauvignon Blanc,
the soft and expressive Carmenère and the mint-scented Cabernet Sauvignons. As a storm
approached we hurried to Altair’s hillside winery to taste an exceptional portfolio.
No apologies for rain
The rain continued as we traveled to
Colchagua, a subregion of Rapel, where temperatures are warm and red varieties flourish.
The ultra-modern, newly developed Casa
Lapostolle hosted the group in its gravity-flow
winery built into a mountainside. Andrea
Leon Iriarte is living a winemaker’s dream,
with a first-rate facility, new French oak barrels and grapes from some of the finest vineyards in South America.
Aurelio Montes and Douglas Murray of
Montes did not apologize for the much-needed rain that fell during our visit to their
well-known estate. At Montes we ventured
into the muddy vineyards for a lesson on
Chilean terroir—the unique sense of the
place—and tasted through their amazing
portfolio in another state-of-the-art facility.
Vineyard surveying on horseback was
preempted by another day of rain at Santa
Ema. The owners and winemakers guided us
through their lively whites and bold reds. We
were treated to culinary delights: empanadas,
a delicious meat-filled, oven-baked pasty, and
pisco sours, a Chilean cocktail made from
brandy. We proceeded to the world-famous
Concho y Toro, where wines from several
nearby wineries were assembled and tasted
along with Concho y Toro’s extensive range of
quality offerings. Local traditional folk dancers and music entertained us while the tasting
wrapped up.
Our last stop, the Aconcagua Valley, was
about two hours’ drive from Santiago. The
orange, yellow and red colors of fall dominated the impeccable vineyards. A dedicated
winemaking team from Errazuriz and Sena
took us through an impressive lineup of wines
that have been quality leaders in Chile for
many years.
The wines of Chile are as wonderful as its
people. The citrus- and mineral-scented
Sauvignon Blancs were matched by the tropical fruit flavors and oak aromas of the
Chardonnays. The reds ranged from lightly
colored Pinot Noirs with hints of strawberry
and rhubarb, to soft, black-cherry Merlots,
soft and ripe Carmenères and dark-berry-fruit Cabernets.
We tasted more than 250 wines in South
America, and concluded that unique, high-quality wines are available from many producers at all price ranges. You may not have
been with us, but we had you in mind when
selecting these wines. Make your journey
through the wines of Argentina and Chile as
educational and fun as ours. C
Annette Alvarez-Peters oversees Costco’s
national wine, spirits and beer program.
Costco’s wine-buying team
samples the wares of the
Catena winery in Argentina.
South America
Argentina
Chile
Wine Region
Featured at
Costco
Pascual Toso Chardonnay,
Argentina
Item #287443
Santa Ema Reserve Merlot, Chile
Item #392128
Bodega Norton Malbec Reserve,
Argentina Item #454109
Catena Zapata Malbec, Argentina
Item #472719
Viña Montes Purple Angel, Chile
Item #941935
Concha y Toro Marques de Casa Concha
Chardonnay, Chile Item #19771
Casa Lapostolle Cuvée Alexandre
Chardonnay, Chile Item #266822
Not all wines are available at all locations. See
costco.com for more wine choices.
For information on Costco’s Kirkland Signature™ wines,
go to costco.com, click on “Costco Connection
Magazine,” then “Kirkland Signature Wine Connection.”
NW
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