A Chilean Wine Adventure

I have been studying hard this week in preparation for part 1 of the 2-part exam required to become a certified sommelier.  This week my studies have been focused primarily on Chilean and Argentinean wines.  I really don’t drink many South American wines so I thought some hands-on experience would be helpful.  Tonight I will be making a dinner and pairing it with two Chilean red wines.  One is a varietal and the other is a blend(blended with cabernet sauvignon).  What they both have in common is the grape Carmenère.

Carmenère was planted in Chile in the mid-1800’s after being brought over from the Bordeaux region of France.  The vines ended up thriving in Chile, however did not fare so well in France.  After the majority of grape vines were wiped out in Europe due to pesky little insects called phylloxera, carmenère was never replanted there.  So even though there is much more cabernet sauvignon grown in Chilè, Carmenère has become their signature red grape.

Based on information gathered from my “recommended reading”, Carmenère has flavors of mocha, sweet herb, black cherries, blackberry and spice.  Recommended food pairings are smoked foods, herbs, meats paired with herbs (think steak with chimichurri sauce), pasta in tomato based sauces, eggplant and lentils.  Below is a menu I thought would pair well with the wines.

·      Wild Salmon with Lentils and Arugula

·      Rack of Lamb with Rosemary and Garlic

·      Roasted carrots & parsnips

·      Brussel Sprouts braised with bacon

Now I don’t mind studying so much when I have a fantastic wine-paired dinner to look forward to!  I am off to the library but will let you know what we thought of the wines and share the recipes with you tomorrow!