Well, sort of. Although the grape has been around for much longer, it was mistaken for Merlot. Twenty-one years ago, they correctly identified the variety and have been adjusting the growing practices since. Like all grapes, there are expected characteristics and then there are nuances that come from a combination of terroir, climate, growing practices, winemaking and other variables.
I recently sampled a few bottles of Carmenere from Chile, courtesy of Nonni Marketing. And since today is #CarmenereDay on Twitter, it seemed the perfect day to share them. Each wine was made from grapes grown in the Colchagua Valley, one of the best known regions in Chile. There, Carmenere is second only to Cabernet Sauvignon in acreage.
Regardless of menu or price point, Chilean Carmenere can work and wow. Priced to share, easy to pair or rich and reserve, there is something for all of our holiday meals. But well worth the risk. What are you opening for Carmenere Day?
I really enjoy Carmenere! Happy to celebrate such a yummy grape with such a long legacy.
I’m getting behind on all the wine holidays… so hard to keep up. Carménère is one of the original 6 Bordeaux varietals, still allowed to be used and still used, but in minuscule quantities. During my trip to China I had the Chinese wine made out of Cabernet Gernischt, which according to Jancis Robinson is actually a Carménère 🙂 Some of the Chilean Carménère wines are stunning, I agree. Cheers!
No kidding! I happened to have samples I needed to write about that I finished tasting yesterday so I knocked it out.