Carmenere - A Hidden Variety

One of the best things about being a lover of wine, is that no two wines are the same. My brother-in-law recently messaged from South America asking if I had tried the variety “Carmenere”. I had heard of this, but didn’t know much about it. So I turned to Google – Carmenere is a variety that was originally planted in Bordeaux, France, but it is extremely rare to find it there now. In 1867, a Phylloxera plague nearly destroyed all the vineyards in Europe, and Carmenere was unable to be replanted. It was presumed extinct. That was until it was found in Chile, where growers had preserved Carmenere grapes for over 150 years! I headed to my local liquor store and found a bottle to try. I bought a bottle of Casillero del Diablo Carmenere 2013, from Chile. On the label is the story "More than 100 years ago, Don Melchor de Conchay Toro reserved for himself an exclusive batch of his best wines. To keep strangers away from his private reserve, he spread the rumour that the devil lived in that place. Hence the name." imag0428 - Edited This Carmenere is deep red in colour and smells of berries and spice. I would describe it as a soft Shiraz, with chocolate and coffee characteristics. This one in particular was 13.5% alcohol. If you are interested in trying something a bit different, why not try a Carmenere?

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