Chile...I have always been fascinated with their wine, Carmenere in particular.
I had a wonderful opportunity that I just couldn't pass up so I packed my bags and headed to the beautiful country, Chile.
My friend and I were feeling adventurous, we rented a car without GPS and hit the countryside running. We did have some guidance (thank goodness).
We started off just outside Curico where we had a blast helping harvest Sauvignon Blanc. Of course we were the "Gringas" and that was alright, we were there to help! And help we did (for a few hours anyways)! Next we got to assist one of the winemakers taste the juice that was processed the day before and help him determine if it was Sauvignon Blanc or Chardonnay. And what style of wine would it make? Now this was fun!! Since I don't produce a Sauvignon Blanc it was new to my palate, in the juice stage. Very interesting, I was expecting quite a bit of acidity in the Sauv. Blancs and more apples in the Chard...but they were all quite different and will make some really nice wines!
After a our days in the bodega we travelled to several other wine regions from Casablanca to Colchagua and experienced some phenomenal wines. All the wineries were absolutely gorgeous. For a relatively young wine country, I am now more convinced than ever that they have some spectacular wines that need to be enjoyed one bottle at a time!
Cheers!
It is that time of year when I get to go out and test the grapes for the degree of Brix or the amount of sugar which converts to alcohol and the pH. Here is a picture of my first ever harvest of some local Virginia Pinot Noir grapes. I am very excited to harvest these grapes, they taste delicious and should make some very good wine! Stay tuned!!
