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CARMENERE--WINE FROM THE PAST

A new varietal wine from Chile is appearing in shops. Its name, reminiscent of a flamenco dancer, is Carmenere. Like the dancer, it is passionate, full of vigor and dramatic in taste. Yet Carmeners is not new; it is an ancient classic Bordeaux variety that until a few years ago was encountered only as a footnote in textbooks. Until the phylloxera vine louse destroyed French vineyards in the 1890's, Carmenere was--along with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot--used to make Bordeaux's world-famous red wines. When the phylloxera problem was eventually resolved, the devastated vineyards were replanted with Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, but not Carmenere, which was less productive in that northerly area. Kevin Sinclair describes how this long lost vine was recently rediscovered in Chile. He tells how it got to Chile and for a century was mistaken for Merlot. Read with a glass of Chilean Carmenere in your hand; the wine is delicious living history.

Thu, 14 Sep 2000 08:07:33 -0700

Submitted by: Peter May