Taking life one sip at a time
Casa Real Hotel
Chile’s Maipo Valley is home to some of the most recognized wineries in the country. Arguably one of the most famous is Viña Santa Rita which is not only one of the oldest and largest wineries in Chile, it is home to one of the most spectacular hotels we have ever had the pleasure of staying at.
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Washington State’s Force Majeure’s Syrah wine.
Syrah, also known as Shiraz (in Australia) is getting on more and more wine consumers’ radars. And for good reason. It can make delicious wine, it has long been a favourite among sommeliers, and is grown in many different regions that result in many different styles. Something for everyone! In this article we hope to give you what you need to know about Syrah, whether as an introduction to the wine or to expand your horizons.
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Concha y Toro’s Icon wine, the Don Melchor Cabernet Sauvignon.
Chile is one of the top 10 wine producing countries in the world and the majority of their wine is made by a handful of wineries. At the top of that list is Concha y Toro with over 1 million litres produced from 15 facilities across the country, along with 1 in Argentina, and 1 in California. While we typically search out small, boutique, artisanal wineries (and we found some gems in Chile), Concha y Toro has proven that size doesn’t always matter when it comes to making high quality wine.
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Sven Bruchfeld
We first encountered Polkura when Sven Bruchfeld, the winery’s founder, joined us and our group of wine travelers for lunch while we toured the wineries of Chile and Argentina. This particular lunch was the kick-off for our tour, and what a kick-off it was. On the edge of downtown Santiago is the incredible restaurant called Pinpilinpausha. Pinpilinpausha is the Basque word for butterfly. The restaurant was started in 1940 by the Sanz-Raab family of Spain. Their goal was to bring the style and flavours of Basque cooking to South America. For almost 80 years it has been one of Santiago’s, and in fact, one of Chile’s, top restaurants.
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Malbec at Viu Manent.
Our first trip to Chile and Argentina was full of surprises. It’s no surprise to us that good quality wines are being produced in both countries that are terrific value. What was surprising is just how many wines are being made in both countries that are of excellent quality. Not surprisingly, we found some outstanding Malbec in Argentina. But to our great surprise Viu Manent in Chile is making its name with Malbec, a variety almost exclusively associated with its South American neighbor.
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Examples of Tête de Cuvée
This series of articles will focus on the top wines from a number of Champagne Houses. In Champagne these top wines are referred to as that house’s “Tête de Cuvée”. The Tête de Cuvée will be made from a strict selection of the best barrels from the best vineyard parcels. The Tête de Cuvée is very limited in production, but it is very important to the Champagne house as it represents the best of the best, the crowning achievement that defines what the house is capable of.
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The cellar at Cheval des Andes.
When the world’s leading luxury brand owner (LVMH) takes two of their top winery brands (Cheval Blanc and Terrazas de Los Andes) and backs them to create a new winery under the aegis of one of the world’s greatest living winemakers (Pierre Lurton of Cheval Blanc and Chateau d’Yqem), you know it is going to be something amazing. What you may not have guessed is just how amazing the wines from their project (Cheval des Andes) are.
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The wine lineup at Kingston.
In a country known for large production wineries, Chile’s Kingston Family Vineyards is a small producer proving that a focus on quality over quantity can always set you apart.
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