A Perfect Pairing: Primus The Blend 2019 and Comfort Food on a Winter Night

On a cold and damp winter night, the kind that calls for warmth and comfort both in ambiance and on the plate, we whipped up some homemade tomato soup and grilled cheese and bacon and paired it with 2019 Primus - The Blend. The Blend was a perfect companion to this meal.

About Primus

    Agustin Huneeus, a man with a profound passion for wine and an unyielding determination, founded Primus about 20 years ago. His dream was to create wines that stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the best in the world. Huneeus, with his deep understanding of viticulture and winemaking, quickly recognized the potential of Chile's unique terroirs and set out to exploit them to their fullest potential.

 

   The winery was designed to harmonize with its surroundings, employing sustainable practices that ensure the health and vitality of the vineyards. The winery's philosophy revolves around producing wines that are a true reflection of their origin, capturing the essence of the terroir in each bottle.

Primus The Blend 2019 Vintage

    One of the crowning achievements of Primus Wines is the 2019 vintage of Primus The Blend. This exquisite wine is a testament to the winery's commitment to quality and its skill in blending different grape varieties to create a harmonious and complex wine.

Composition of the Grapes

The 2019 Primus The Blend is a “Blend” of 40% Carmenere, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Syrah, 10% Petit Verdot and 5% Cabernet Franc. Each grape variety contributes its unique characteristics to the blend.

• Cabernet Sauvignon is sourced from Alto Maipo, the site of the first vineyard to be planted in Chile in 1541. It is considered to produce the best Cabernet Sauvignon in Chile. This provides the backbone of the blend, offering structure, tannins, and dark fruit flavors.
• Carmenère adds depth and silkiness with its spicy and herbaceous notes.
• Syrah provides black fruit and spice
• Cabernet Franc adds elegance
• Petit Verdot adds intensity and color.

The wine is rich and complex with a lovely mix of red and black fruit, ripe blackberries, hints of spice vanilla and a touch of herbaceous notes.

The wine complemented the creamy, tangy flavors of the rich tomato soup. The smokiness of the bacon hit on the spicy notes in the wine.

  The 2019 Primus The Blend transforms a simple meal into a wonderful dining experience. It's a reminder of how the right wine can turn even the simplest of meals into a celebration of flavors and moments.

Kiss the Ground and Wash it Down with Veramonte Wines - Happy Earth Day

Happy Earth Day! Today, we celebrate Earth and all the wonderful things the earth gives us. But, we take a lot from it. Do we ever think about giving back to earth, becoming more sustainable and ways we can protect our planet?

Veramonte Wines takes this task very seriously. Veramonte is located in Chile. Their vineyards in Casablanca is planted with their white and cool climate grapes, while the reds are planted in Colchagua.

All their vineyards are 100% organic. Their organic practices consist of the following:

• Quality Compost - they use their own compost to maximize the soil and promote balance and self-regulation of the ecosystem.
• Inter-Row Cultivation - To improve the structure and vitality of their soils, cover crops are planted in between rows. This minimizes erosion, improves soil structure and provides nutrients to the soil.
• Incorporation of Animals - Sheep and other animals act as natural fertilizer in addition, cut(eat) grass in the spring and aerate the soil (with their feet)
• Conservation of Biological Corridors - by preserving biodiversity ensures a self-regulating ecosystem, thus having healthy vines
• Pruning & Canopy Management - Ensure proper ventilation and the right amount of foliage to avoid diseases.
• Weed Control - They cultivate the land under the vines. This loosens the soil and generates structure for the vines and enhances the life and microfauna of the soil. The goal is to have healthier soils rich in micro-organisms.

Veramonte has partnered with the non-profit organization Kiss the Ground, which was created to focus its efforts on healthy soils and creating a symbiotic relationship with the earth. Their mission is to awaken people to the possibilities of regeneration.

With every purchase of Veramonte wines, they will contribute to Kiss the Ground and its mission.

Veramonte Wines is priced at $11.99

Veramonte Organic Sauvignon Blanc 2021 - An impressive Sauvignon Blanc with aromas of white grapefruit and lemon zest. The palate is soft with bright acidity and nuisances of white grapefruit, lemon and lime zest. A great summer white! (Found it at Total Wine for $7.99)

Veramonte Organic Chardonnay 2020 - Aged for eight months in oak, this Chardonnay is very easy drinking. Aromas show a hint of vanilla with honeydew melon pear and green apple. The palate is creamy with notes of pear, lemon and green apple.

Veramonte Organic Carmenere 2020 - Aged in French oak for eight months, the 2020 Carmenere is full of red and black fruit. The palate is smooth and balanced and has a nice even finish.

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.

Ventisquero Grey Label Named After a Glacier

Photo: https://torresdelpaine.com/

Ventisquero, Grey label is named after the Grey Glacier in Chile’s Patagonia region. The Glacier is part of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field located in Torres del Paine National Park in Chile. It is 17 miles long beginning in the Patagonian Andes Mountains and ends in Grey Lake. It is one of the most spectacular glaciers in Chile. Hence the [Glacier] on the label.

Ventisquero has been making wine since 1998. They own vineyards in Chile’s main wine-producing regions: Coastal Maipo, Casablanca, Colchagua, Leyda and Huasco. The Grey label represents single-vineyard wines from the various regions.

They recently released two new vintages, The 2014 Carménére from the Maipo Valley and the 2017 blend of Garnacha, Cariñena and Mataro from the Apalta Vineyard in the Colchagua Valley. Both wines are made under head winemaker Felipe Tasso who joined the winery in 2000. The Carménére has been aged in oak for 18 months, because according to Tosso “When the wine is concentrated, Carménére goes very well with oak. Otherwise, the toast overpowers the fruit.” The decision to age the Carménére in oak is based on the power of the Carménére from vintage to vintage. The Grey GCM doesn’t require as long a time in oak.

2017 Grey [Glacier] Garnacha, Cariñena, Mataro SRP $20

This blend consists of 62% Garnacha, 19% Cariñena and 19% Mataro. The majority of the grapes, Garnacha come from Apalta, Block 28. Here you will find the soil full of colluvial and stones with some clay and orange granite. The wine was aged in fifth use French oak barrels for 6 months. After oak aging the wines were bottled and aged for a month. Although this wine is a great drink now wine, it should age pretty well for the next 3 to 6 years.

Tasting Notes: Lots going on in this complex wine that shows many flavors. Nice notes of red fruit, red raspberry and some black pepper escape the glass with an earthy note. The palate is medium-bodied with soft tannins and easy drinking. Flavors of red an black fruit with a hint of cocoa. The finish is a beautiful soft black pepper that lingers a bit. Paired well with grilled beef kabobs.

2014 Grey [Glacier] Carménére SRP $20

This wine is 100% Carménére from the Maipo Valley. The soil consists of clay and coarse sand and stones. Malolactic fermentation happens in the barrels. Aging is for 18 months in French oak where 34% were first-use and 66% were second or third-year use. After bottling it is aged in the bottle for 8 months. It can be aged up to 10 years.

Tasting Notes: Lots of black and blue fruit coming from the glass with a hint of green pepper in the distant. The palate is strong and smooth with velvety tannins. Hints of graphite mix in with the black fruit. Paired wonderfully with a flat iron steak.

Winephabet Street Season 1 Episode 9 I is for Itata

Welcome to Winephabet Street Season 1 Episode 9. Winephabet Street is a monthly series where Lori Budd of Draceana Wines and myself work our way through the alphabet exploring wine and wine regions on letter at a time. The show is live on the third Monday at 8pm and is free, but you must register to attend. Put in on your calendar, pour yourself a glass of wine and hang out with us. 

Itata Valley, Chile

February took us to the Itata Valley in Chile which is known as the “Forgotten Viticulture Region” in Chile. It is 250 miles south of Santiago and covers an area measuring roughly 60 miles from north to south and a little less from east to west. There are approximately 26,000 acres of commercial grapes planted. One of the questions asked during the webinar was about the altitude and we aim to please and found the altitude of Itata ranges from 195 feet to 1475 feet. It is one of the oldest wine growing regions in Chile planted not far from the bay of Concepcion by Spanish conquerors in 1551. This wine region is the forerunner to Chilean winemaking.

Wine Tasted

The wine I chose for this episode was a De Martino Gallardia 2014 Cinsault. I was batting double with this because it was my first wine from the Itata region and first 100% Cinsault tasted. Usually Cinsault is used as a blending grape. Although Lori and I had different producers and vintages we both tasted a Cinsault. I found the wine very one dimensional with red berry flavors. As the wine opened the fruit became more apparent but there was a hint of menthol.

Sit down and grab a glass of wine or your favorite beverage and watch or listen to Lori and I as we explore the Itata Valley region of Chile. If you don’t have time to watch the webinar, feel free to listen to us on your drive to work, in the gym or when you have spare time. The podcast below is available on Itunes, Stitcher and a bunch of other platforms for your listening pleasure. To watch older episodes visit our website http://winephabetstreet.com/ and visit our sponsor Winc.

Don’t forget to register for our March episode where we explore the Jacquere grape. Register here.

Webinar

Podcast

3 Ways to Enjoy Wines of Chile

Three wines, three memories and that is how wine should be enjoyed. With Chile’s fast growing wine region and we’ll explore two producers Ventisquero, and Valdivieso. We’ll take a look at a Cabernet Sauvignon, a Sparkling Rosé and a Sauvignon Blanc.

We’ll begin with a selection of a 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon from Ventisquero harvested from their Trinidad Vineyard in the Maipo Valley. The vineyard is 150 to 260 meters above sea level and planted with 377 hectares of vines consisting of Merlot, Carmenere, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. The wine is a blend of 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Syrah, fermented in stainless steel and 70% was aged in French oak for 10 months and then 4 months in the bottle before release. It has a beautiful intense ruby red color. It’s a complex wine with aromas of blueberries, black currants, tart cherry and a hint of green pepper. Soft on the palate it has medium body with flavors of ripe raspberries, strawberries, black current and a hint of cocoa. This wine was enjoyed on the back deck with my husband and later over a steak and roasted cauliflower. SRP $15

Now let’s fast forward to new beginnings. Yes you have to celebrate the couple in love and take them on a boat ride with a bottle of bubbles. Valdivieso Brut Rosé was our choice. A blend of 70% Pinot Noir and 30% Chardonnay grown in the Central Valley of Chile at the foothills of the Los Andes mountain range. The wine was made in the Charmat method where the second fermentation happens a tank. A beautiful rose color with nice strong bubbles and had aromas of fresh strawberries shining through on the nose. The palate was fruity with hints of blackberry and red fruit. Delightful on the palate and a grate value at $13.

We head back to the back porch where we create those memorable family moments with close friends and share a bottle of Valdivieso 2015 Sauvignon Blanc Gran Reserva. The Sauvignon Blanc grapes come from the valley of Leyda which has a strong maritime influence due to its proximity to the Pacific Ocean. There wine was left on the lees for 3 months and that contributes to its creaminess, but don’t worry you still get the acidity you get from a Sauvignon Blanc. Lots of lime on the nose accompanied by grapefruit and some fresh cut grass. In your mouth the wine was soft on your palate with white grapefuit and passion fruit and soft acidity. It went very well with salt and vinegar potato chips. At $17, I wouldn’t hesitate to purchase.

Wines of Chile: Montes Wines

Founded in 1987 by Aurelio Montes and Douglas Murray, both wine professionals wanting to realize their dream of producing Chilean wines of high quality.  In 1988 they partnered with Alfredo Vidaurre and Pedro Grand and Montes Wines came to fruition.

In 2004 the winery was built that holds 2,3000,000 liters of wine.  It is a state of the art gravity flow winery that was built on the principles of feng shui to ensure harmony in a positive atmosphere.  Water flows towards the building so that prosperity will come if the water, representing energy, flows towards the center of the building.

They have always believed in caring for the environment and developing a sustainable practices throughout every phase of production. They aim to understand how all the natural ecosystems around the vineyard provide services to the vineyard.  They work with the benefits that nature provides. This is an ongoing process.

They employ a full time agronomist that studies the science and technology of producing and using the plants for food and fuel in the vineyard.  This involves all areas of plant genetics, plant physiology, meterology and soil science.

I had the privilege to taste two of Montes wines and I was blown away by both of them.

Montes Spring Harvest 2015 Sauvignon Blanc At first sip three words came out of our mouth- Oh Yea, Wow! This comes from their vineyard located in the Leyda Valley where the soil is granite and clay.

The wine had a nice straw color and beautiful aromas were coming from the glass. Juicy pineapple, grapefruit, lime, hint of jasmine and peach.  The palate was crisp with balanced acidity.

Best part, this wine retails for $14.  I served it with Wasabi Salmon.

Montes Alpha 2012 Carmenére is one of the best Carmenére I've tasted, and I've tasted quite a few. The grapes for this wine are from their Colchagua Valley vineyards and they are grown under their dry farming philosophy.  That means they are farmed sustainable with less water and that challenges the grapes and generates flavor.

The wine had notes of black cherry, coffee, and dark chocolate.  There was some nice plum fruit the shined through with a black pepper finish that lingered a bit.

This wine is a steal at $20. I paired this with Peruvian Shish Kabobs.

Wasabi Glazed Grilled Salmon

1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tbs sesame oil
1 tbs brown sugar
1 tsp ground ginger
1tsp curry powder
1/4 tsp wasabi powder (more if you really want to clean out your sinuses)
juice of 1 lime
1 lb salmon

Mix all of the above for the marinade in a bowl.  Marinade salmon for about 30 minutes before grilling.


Peruvian Shish-Kabobs

1 pound of beef cubes for shish-kabobs
2 cloves of garlic minced
2 tsp chile powder
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup red wine vinegar

Mix all above except beef.  Then add beef and marinade for 2 hours.  Thread the beef onto skewers and grill

Wines of Chile: Carmenere - What I learned, What I Tasted

I recently took part in a 'Wines of Chile' Carmenere Wine tasting. (for the blog police, the wines were samples provided by Wines of Chile.)

This wine tasting was executed via the web and we all logged in and got to chat with the 8 winemakers. The tasting was moderated by wine and spirits consultant Michael Green.

The Carmenere grape is known as "the lost grape of Bordeaux." Originally planted in the Medoc region of Bordeaux until a Phylloxera epidemic wiped it out in the 1870's.  Before the outbreak, Bordeaux rootstock, Carmenere among them were brought to Chile.  They thought Carmenere was Merlot and planted it accordingly.  It wasn't until 1993 that they discovered the Merlot was actually Carmenere when renowened viticulturist Professon Jean-Michael Boursiquit of Ensa de Montepellier did a DNA screening on the grape.

I have tasted the Carmenere before and it was very spicy, spiced with black pepper, some stronger than others.  With this particular wine tasting, I found many of the wines to have a green bell pepper taste.  I am unclear if that is the grape, or they harvested it to early, over cropped it, or didn't leaf pull properly.

The wines we tasted ranged in price from $10 to $44.  Of course I found the $44 wine the most enjoyable.

Here is a brief critique of what we tasted:

1. Santa Carolina Reserva Carmenere 2007, 100% Carmenere, $10 bottle - Black pepper on nose, green pepper on taste.
2. Odfjel Armador Carmenere 2007, 100% Carmenere, $13 bottle - eathy, herbaceous.  I didn't like the way this wine finished.  Had a taste of cedar on the finish.
   
3. Viu Manent Carmenere Reserva 2007, 100% Carmenere, $14 bottle - Alcohol on the nose with bell pepper.  I got a taste of sugar cube on the front of my tongue.
4. Cono Sur Vision Crmenere 2007, 85% Carmenere, 9% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Syrah, $15 bottle - nose of pine, Eucalyptus and menthol.  Also very earthy.
5. Vina La Rosa LaCapitana Carmenere 2008, 100% Carmenere, $18 bottle - very nice.  I didn't find an green pepper on this wine.  Had black pepper on the long finish.
6. Ventisquero Grey Carmenere 2007, 100% Carmenere, $25 bottle - nice ruby red color.  I actually smelled buffalo chicken on the nose.  Strange, I know. 
   
7. Terra Andina Altos Carmenere-Carignan 2007, 70% Carmenere, 30% Carignan, $18.99 bottle - I didn't like the nose on this wine at all.  Kind of mustyness and sawdust.  Taste of cherry and blueberry with black pepper on the finish.
8. Carmen Wine Maker's Reserve Red 2004, 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Carmenere, 25% Petit Syrah, $44 bottle - This was the favorite, figures the most expensive wine.  It had little nutmeg on the nose, smooth, nice cherry color, nicely balanced.

I would like to thank Andrea for including me in the tasting.  

Wines of Chile - Natura

I am blessed to have wonderful friends and to share great wine with them. As part of a tasting trial I was sent a bottle of 2008 Natura, Sauvignon Blanc form Valle Casablanca Chile. This wine is also organic.

No one better to test a Sauvignon that to share it with Ann, the Sauvignon Blanc Queen.

I thought this wine was wonderful. Very crisp smell and soft acid. On the palate it was lemony, sweet and sour.

We had this with jerk chicken and Salmon and it went very well. In fact, it subdued the sweet and sour of the lemon and smoothed it out.