When I think of wine, I typically first think of Napa Valley or Burgandy or any North American/Euro wine region that any good ethnocentric white personwould first think of. After all, I’m no connoisseur and 80% of the wine I’ve consumed has come from a box.
What I lack in knowledge, I make up for in raw experience. I’ve tasted enough lowbrow wine to know a good wine when I taste it. And Chilean wine doesn’t get nearly enough love.
If your taste buds are bored and your head is weary from one too many cheap-wine hangovers, try these two on for size:
Cono Sur– An organic Sauvignon Blanc from San Antonio Valley, this crisp wine is young & fresh with aromatic notes of grapefruit and chili pepper. It comes from the Southern Cone of South America, where a lack of natural barriers allows entry to strong oceanic influence in the neighboring vineyards. Serve it as an aperitif with a light dish like homemade sushi or artichoke dip.
Haras de Pirque– Another Sauvignon Blanc; this one hails from the Haras Estate where cold temperatures and little sun exposure assure wine from this vineyard have the perfect balance between alcohol, acidity, and pH. In this vineyard, biological products are only used to control plagues. Insects regulate insects the rest of the time. A touch sweeter than Cono Sur, you’ll taste hints of fresh herbs, grapefruit, and white peach. Pair this one with shrimp or white fish.
Both retail for less than $15 and have an alcohol content around 13%, so the next time you reach for that Yellowtail, opt for one of these fresh Chilean wines. You deserve it.
