Drink Wine With Me

Archive for the ‘Chile’ Category

Lately I have been making more of an effort to eat healthy and pay attention to where the food I am purchasing comes from.  Organic foods seem to be catching on and are no longer just an of the moment food trend.  I am concerned with added chemicals, hormones, and antibiotics and how they are contributing to ill health so I  am making a point to add more organic items to my shopping cart.  When it comes to wine however I haven’t been paying much attention to the organic category.  I have written about wines made by producers who employ practices of bio dynamic and sustainable farming but the wines weren’t necessarily made from organic grapes.  At a recent South American themed tasting we tried Natura Merlot 2007.  Produced in the Rapel Valley in Chile by Vinedos Emiliana, they are at the forefront of organic wine  production in their region.  This merlot is comprised of 99% merlot with small amounts of syrah and petit verdot blended in.  In the glass it has a lovely dark ruby color.   The aroma consisted of sweet cherries with a hint of vanilla.  It is very fruit forward on the palate with light tannins.  Since Natura Merlot is organic this means that the grapes are grown without any pesticides or synthetic chemicals of any kind.  There are also very small amounts of sulfites compared to non-organic wines.  Some say that organic wines are sulfite free but all wines have at  least some present whether they occur naturally or are added back into the wine.  This is necessary to prevent spoilage as organic wines will need to be enjoyed fairly quickly-they will not be good a day or two after the bottle has been opened.  I really enjoyed Natura Merlot and the fact that it is good for you and the environment doesn’t hurt either.  I also love the price which averages around $12 per bottle.

For someone who primarily drinks red wine especially in the cold winter months I seem to be discovering quite a few white wines that I am really enjoying.  Recently while preparing a delicious dinner of chicken with green curry sauce my boyfriend selected Arboleda Sauvignon Blanc, a medium bodied white that he purchased at a wine tasting.  Arboleda wines are produced in the Leyda Valley located in Chile.  Chilean wines are gaining in popularity based on their high quality and affordable prices.  This sauvignon blanc is no exception.  When poured this wine has a pretty straw color and concentrated aroma.  I found it to smell rather buttery with notes of grass and minerals.  The flavor of fresh tropical fruits and slight citrus was well balanced with a nice acidity.  According to the wine makers notes this wine has 14 % alcohol and notes of asparagus and green chili.  I didn’t really taste either of those but this wine did pair extremely well with our spicy Thai meal.  This wine scored 90 points from Wine Advocate and retails under $20.   Arboleda Sauvignon Blanc is another fine white wine choice and another great representation of Chilean wine making.