Become A Wine Tourist This Summer

The dollar is down and the idea of spending an idyllic springtime in the rolling hills of Tuscany is questionable. Even if you get a reasonable airfare rate, you still have to consider that the dollar is losing against the Euro. Those stories about the great bottles of wine for only $2 or $3 have faded into the past much like the stop at the currency exchange window each time you arrive into a new European country. But there is still a place you can go where the mountains loom in the background and the ground undulates with the contour of the hills; where the land is rich with history and the people boast of conquerors and liberators; best of all, where a dollar can still get you an unforgettable vacation. The place is Chile. Located along the Pacific Ocean, Chile stretches 4,265 km (2,650 miles) from north to south but averages only 177 km (110 miles) from east to west and boasts myriad of climates and topography. Within the boundaries of this long, thin country lies the world’s sixth largest wine producer. Chile’s location is an ideal one; its deserts, mountain ranges and ice packs have made it impossible for most of the world’s grape eating predators to penetrate the land. Therefore, Chile uses little if any pesticides in the farming of the vines. Land is still inexpensive and labor relatively cheap (yet, literate). Chiles’s wine industry is based on the “Big Four” Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon but in recent years, has also cultivated Pinot Noir, Syrah and even Zinfandel. All of this and the fact that it resurrected the Carmenere grape make Chile a fascinating place to become a wine tourist. Fly into Santiago and from there wine country is only an hour away. Rent a car and do it your way or book a wine tour through the Curacavi and Casablanca Valleys – these would be the equivalent of Napa & Sonoma. Many of the easiest tours to take will have you tasting wines at the Cousiño Macul Winery, Chile’s oldest established in 1856, within a few hours of departing your hotel’s front door. Before setting sail around Cape Horn (metaphorically speaking), try some of these fascinating Chilean wines to get acclimated to the hemisphere change. The Casa Diego Carmenere 2005 (6.50) is a true testament of Chiles’s ownership of the Carmenere grape with blackberries, raspberries and green peppers on the nose and palate. Terra Mater “Mighty” Zinfandel (29.99) has notes of dark chocolate and dried dark fruits: the palate is full and lively with zesty tannins. This Zinfandel gives a run for its money. If you would like more facts about Chile and its wine industry, visit chile-travel.com or e-mail me at cecelia@uncorkedwines.com.