Organic Wines From Chile You Need To Be Drinking

I recently sampled some organic wines from the Casablanca Valley in Chile. I don’t get to drink Chilean wines often, I don’t know why, but I need to. These wines really impressed me. The Sauvignon Blanc wines were outstanding with bright acidity and the Pinot Noir and Carmenere so food-friendly.

We hear the term organic used a lot lately, what does it mean? Growing grapes organically means the grapes are grown without the use of synthetic fertilizers or pesticides. The yeast used during winemaking must be certified organic.

Ritual Wines and Veramonte Wines are producing organic wines from the Casablanca Valley area of Chile. Here is what they are doing to be organic.

Ritual Wines

“We believe in letting vines connect with their environment over time; this is the art of making an exceptional wine”

• The quality of the compost comes from the organic waste from the harvest along with guano from the area. Guano is the excrement of seabirds and bats and it is used as fertilizer and is highly effective due to its high content of nitrogen, phosphate and potassium which are key nutrients essential for plant growth.

• Inter-row crops to revitalize soils.
• Sheep roam in the vineyard to help cut grass. They also act as natural fertilizers
• Organic certification in all their vineyards
• Wines undergo native fermentation

Veramonte Wines

“We follow organic and sustainable practices because we believe that it is the only way to have healthy and expressive vineyards that transcend time and deliver pure fruit and wines that reflect the living soils from which they come.”

• They use their compost to maximize their soils to promote balance and self-regulation of the ecosystem
• They minimize erosion by cropping between rows
• They have sheep that eat the grass in the spring, aerates and minimize compaction of their soils. They are natural fertilizers.
• Preserve biodiversity to ensure a self-regulating ecosystem for healthy vines
• On the vines, have an adequate amount of foliage to allow proper ventilation and to avoid disease.

The Wines

If you like Sauvignon Blanc you will love the Sauvignon Blanc Ritual and Veramonte are producing. They have nice bright acidity and juicy. The Pinot Noir and Carmenere are well made, easy-drinking and food-friendly. Best of all, they are all under $20.

Ritual Organic Sauvignon Blanc 2018 SRP $19.99 - 100% Sauvignon Blanc whole-cluster pressed and sits for 36 hours. Some fermented into concreted eggs, the rest in neutral oak barrels and stainless steel tanks. This brings different components of the fermentation to the wine and brings out the aromatics, flavors and textures that you see in the wine. The wine sits in the varying vessels for eight to ten months stirring hte lees every other week. The wine showed beautiful lemon and fresh cut grass aromas leading to a palate of green apple, white peach with bright acidity and a smooth finish.

Veramonte Organic Sauvignon Blanc 2019 SRP $11.99 - Buy a case of this and use it for your house wine. At this price point, you can’t go wrong! 100% Sauvignon Blanc from Casablanca Valley, these grapes are harvested at night to maintain fresh and bright acidity. The wine is beautiful with bright acidity, aromas of pink grapefruit, lime and fresh cut hay. Don’t drink this wine too cold because it will mute the beautiful flavors on the palate. Beautiful white juicy grapefruit with a burst of acidity. Paired great with the prosciutto, the salt cut down the acidity in the wine.

Veramonte Organic Pinot Noir 2018 SRP $12.99 - A very easy drinking Pinot Noir with aromas of red raspberry, hints of earth and forest that leads to a palate of elegant red raspberry, cranberry, soft and smooth with a touch of white pepper on the finish.

Veramonte Organic Carmenere 2018 SRP $11.99 - 100% Carmenere ferment with native yeasts then racked into neutral oak barrels and aged for 8 months. The wine is layered and come what complex with slight vegetal notes on the nose. The palate is smooth and silky with a good balance of acidity and soft tannins. Dark fruit, with highlights of black currant and juicy plum and a slight spice on the finish. Served with duck sausage pizza and the smokiness in the duck brought out the fruitiness in the wine.

All the above wines are part of the Gonzalez Byass Family.

Why I Paired Cava With Football

My team the Buffalo Bills made the playoffs. I was so excited for game 1. I was thinking chicken wings and beer. But, quite frankly, beer fills me up and I wanted something I could drink and celebrate with, or drown my sorrows. I though bubbles in keeping with the carbonated beverage and Vilarnau Cava because even if they lost, their beautiful labels would keep me in a decent mood. I could sip cava, eat chicken wings and watch the game. Or so I thought.

I did ask Google what time the game began and I swear it said 4:25pm. About 4:15 I head to the TV and turned on the game to find out that there was 27 seconds left in the Bills game. I popped the cork and stood in front of the tv for the exciting last 27 seconds of the game. Yes, I was screaming and holding my glass of Cava. My dog thought I had gone nuts. Afterward I sat down and #sampled the Cava and made my chicken wings. All was good!

Why Cava? Cava is a beautiful sparkling wine from the Penedes region in Spain made in the Methode Champenoise where the second fermentation takes place in the bottle. Vilarnau Cava is exciting, beautiful and delicate and rich with history and so reasonably priced.

Vilarnau

The first Cava with the Vilarnau name was produced in 1949 with grapes grown on the “Can Petit I Les Planes de Vilarnau” estate. This vineyard is 20 hectares with beautiful views of the Montserrat mountains, while only 30 kilometres away from the Mediterranean sea.

A little background, the Vilarnau family was of Spanish nobility and settled on this estate in the 12th century. Albert de Vilarnau was the single person responsible for increasing the family’s power in the 14th century. In 1982 Vilarnau was acquired by the Gonzalez Byass family of wineries.

The label which is a bottle wrap reflects the avant-garde imagery of Antoni Gaudi. Antoni was a famous Catalan architect known for his style that reflect freedom of form, voluptuous color and texture. His quote “ Color in certain places has the great value of making the outlines and structural planes seem more energetic.” As beautifully shown on the Vilarnau bottle.

The Cava

Vilarnau Brut Reserva NV SRP $14.99 - A blend of 50% Macabeo, 35% Parellada and 15% Xarel.lo. The wine is aged for 15 to 24 months in the bottle. The Cave featured elegant fine bubbles shooting their way up the glass. Nice acidity and fresh with notes of green apple and a hint of orange rind.

Vilarnau Brut Reserva Rose NV SRP $15.99 - This wine is a blend of 85% Garnacha and 15% Pinot Noir. The grapes come from the vineyards their Vilarneau d’Espiell” winery. The Pinot Noir was planted in 1991 and was one of the first vineyards in the Penedes planted with Pinot Noir. A beautiful pink color and fine bubbles. Notes of red fruit on the palate that shows freshness, yet elegance.

One note I do want to say is don’t save sparkling wine for a special occasion. Wines like Vilarnau Cava are wine that can be poured every day. Remember, there is always something to celebrate.

Listen to the Article 

Winephabet Street Season 2 Episode 14- N is for Nebbiolo

Winephabet Street is a monthly series where Lori Budd of Draceana Wines and I work our way through the alphabet exploring wine and wine regions one letter at a time. The show is live on the third Monday at 8pm and is free, but you must register to attend. Put it on your calendar, pour yourself a glass of wine and hang out with us.

With no special guests this month, Lori and I talk to you about the Nebbiolo grape. The grape that is behind Barolo and Barbaresco. The only difference on whether you see Barolo, Barbaresco or Nebbiolo on the label is where the grape is grown as the region and soils have everything to do with the wine.

Nebbiolo is the grape of Piedmont. The word nebbia means fog, because the fog rolls into the hills where the vineyards are planted. The vineyards usually rises above the fog. Nebbiolo is a thick skin grape that is early to bud and late to ripen. It needs lots of sunlight. The wines that are produced from the grape are high in acid and tannins and are worth aging.

I do suggest opening the bottle and decanting it for at least 45 minutes prior to consuming.

For this episode I chose a Seghesio 2018 Langhe Nebbiolo. Seghesio is located in the heart of Langhe on the eastern side of Monforte d’Alba. They produce 5000 cases a year which include, Langhe Nebbiolo, Dolcetto d’Alba, Barbera d”Alba and Castelletto Barolo.

Ettore Seghesio worked as a tenant farmer and saved his money so that one day he can purchase the farm, which is exactly what he did in 1964. Their philosophy is to craft wine that reflects the terroir where the grape is grown. They are committed to protecting the environment and are SONPI(Integrated Crop Management National Quality System.) SONPI is a certification for integrated farming that aims to increase product quality while protecting the environment. In the vineyard they use environmentally sustainable plant protection products.

Seghesio 2018 Langhe Nebbiolo - a wonderful delicious wine that keeps you sipping. Lovely notes of sour cherry and elegant red licorice on the finish with puckering tannins throughout.

For more episodes of Winephabet Street visit http://winephabetstreet.com/

Watch the Webinar

Listen to the Podcast

They Have Grapes in Colorado

I have skied all over Colorado. Vail, Breckenridge, Steamboat Springs but I never knew they grew grapes in Colorado. I do remember a trip to Colorado Springs for a conference and noted how different the climate was there than in Denver. Extremely different, like desert different. 

Colorado has been growing grapes since 1890. The first modern Colorado winery, Ivancie Winery opened in 1968. His winemaker was the famous Warren Winiarski who was hired away from Mondavi Vineyards in California. (He then returned to California and founded Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars) Since then, there has been a large growth in the 1970s and again in the 1990s.

The vineyards sit 4500 feet to over 7000 above sea level. This makes them the highest vineyards in North America. The grape-growing regions sit on the west side as the east faces the extreme weather you think of when you think of Colorado. There are two designated AVA’s:

• The Grand Valley AVA sits along the Colorado River forty miles east of Utah.
• The West Elks AVA follows the North Fork of the Gunnison River through Delta County on the western slope of Colorado. The West Elks AVA has the highest elevation at 7000 feet above sea level.

There are other areas in Colorado that grow grapes but aren’t designated AVA’s by the TTB. They are:

• McElmo Canyon and Montezuma County
• Surface Creek or South Grand Mesa
• Fremont County
• Olathe and Montrose Counties
• The Front Range

The growing season lasts approximately 180 days of warm days and cool nights with breezes that on cool days warm the vines and on hot days cool the vines. This works great at preserving the acidity in the grapes.

Curious about what they grow in Colorado? In the vineyards, there are Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Riesling, Cabernet Franc, Syrah, Chardonnay, Viognier, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris to name a few.

Buckel Family Wines

I had the opportunity to taste Buckel Family Wines Cabernet Franc for Cabernet Franc Day on December 4th. It was the first time I have tasted a wine grown and made in Colorado. Impressed I was.

Buckel Family wines is a small family-owned winery in Gunnison, Colorado. They source their grapes from the vineyards on the Western Slopes of Colorado.

Their mission “ To fulfill the appetite of the adventurous wine drinker with wine that expresses the absolute best of the land, climate and growers in Colorado.”

Joe Buckel, co-founder and winemaker gained his experience working as an enologist at Flowers Vineyard and Winery as well as BR Cohn Winery before becoming the winemaker at Sutcliffe Vineyards in Cortez Colorado then opening his own winery. Hi partner Shamai is a nutritionist who shares her knowledge through pairing their wines with good home-cooked meals.

They produce Cabernet Franc, Cinsault, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pet Nat, Rose, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc all with 100% Colorado grapes.

2018 Buckel Family Wines Cabernet Franc - unfiltered and unfined. The wine show notes of red plum, black cherry with chewy tannins and a green peppercorn spice that explodes in your mouth on the finish.