Originally from France, this grape has now found a perfect home and Chile Carmenere now covers more than 10,000 hectares. The variety was almost extinguished in its homeland by Phylloxera but vines that were taken to Chile over 150 years ago and have flourished there ever since.
Chile is a very long, North to
This will lead to some interesting differences in aroma and flavor profiles of Chile Carmenere from the different regions of the country, come with us to try some of these wines in the Colchagua Valley, plus many other places around Chile. From the high-altitude Aconcagua Valley above Santiago, or the even higher Elqui Valley, to the coastal regions on the edge of Patagonia.
Carmenere was traditionally a blending grape back in Bordeaux but here in Chile winemakers awarded it a certain prestige and many produce 100% Carmenere offerings. Many others label the bottle Carmenere but, in reality, it will carry a minimum of 85% to be labeled as such. Often Syrah or Petite Verdot are added in small quantities to flesh out the final blend.
Some superb high altitude examples of this variety are on offer at award-winning Errazuriz in the Aconcagua Valley, and even higher sources of grapes can be found in the Elqui Valley. A well-respected winery in Elqui is Viña Falernia with grapevines growing at over 7000 feet above sea level. If you choose to visit this area with us we can take a good look at Pisco distilling also, as Elqui is the center of Chilean Pisco (but don’t mention this while in Peru!).
The best known, and highest-scoring Carmenere incarnations come from much lower altitude plots in the Colchagua and Cachapoal Valleys, however. Colchagua is the center of Chiles wine universe and many kinds of wines coming from these fertile valleys are very highly rated. A stay in Colchagua is a must for any wine enthusiast, the density and quality of wineries in this region are impressive.
