A few years ago I visited a remarkable coastal vineyard in Limari, Chile, with active limestone soils. It was Tabali’s Talinay vineyard, and it’s turning out some seriously impressive Chardonnay…
Gandolini 3 Marias, a brilliant Cabernet Sauvignon from Maipo, Chile
Stefano Gandolini’s winery focuses solely on Cabernet Sauvignon from the Maipo Valley. This wine was new to me: nicely packaged, in a big heavy bottle, it made me a little…
Tara Pinot Noir, a lovely wine from Chile’s Atacama
This is a remarkable wine, made by large producer Ventisquero on a very small scale from vineyards in the Atacama desert, in the far north of the country. It hardly…
Casa Marin Miramar Vineyard Syrah, Chilean elegance
This is quite a remarkable wine. It’s also quite challenging, with really bold, edgy flavours. But brave winemaking like this – and, in particular, the decision to pick early, has…
Great value for money Chilean Chardonnay from De Martino
I’m really impressed by De Martino’s high end wines, which for Chile show an unusual (and welcome) sense of adventure. But I was also taken by this wine, an inexpensive…
A quick comparative Pinot Noir tasting (and drinking)
So tonight, I have four Pinot Noirs open. A chance to do some comparative tasting. I love Pinot Noir. It’s such a great grape variety. So, for me, this is…
At the Feria Vinos de Lujo, Santiago
Last night I headed over to the Grand Hyatt in Santiago for a remarkable wine festival. It was fortunate that of the two nights I was in town, one should…
In Santiago, day 2, sunshine and lighter style wines
A cork oak (above) So this morning was a conference on lighter-style lower alcohol wines here in Santiago, for the Chilean wine industry. I was one of the speakers. This…
In Santiago, and to begin with, a Sauvignon Blanc
So, I am in Santiago, Chile. I arrived here this afternoon, after a fairly gruelling flight on an old BA 777 (predictably, the Highlife entertainment system wasn’t working, so I…