Natalie McLean sobre el vino chileno (2006)

Ten Reasons Why Chile is Hot

As a wine cheapskate, nothing makes me happier than to walk down the aisle with Chilean wines in my local liquor store. The prices of these bottles are so reasonable that I just have to sing a happy Latin American tune as I salsa my way up to the cash register with an armful of them. (I can only assume that the questioning stares from other customers must mean that they have yet to try these wines themselves.) But now even tightwads have ten new reasons to try the wines of this ribbon-like South American country.

Reason #1: Lovely Weather They're Having. The middle third of Chile has an ideal climate for growing grapes: In the Central Valley, for example, there is an average of 150 days a year of sun, with little rainfall. Nine out of ten years are similar to a top year for the Médoc in Bordeaux, France. This means that you get gloriously ripe wines year after year after year. You won't see me whipping out a vintage chart in the Chilean wine aisle.

Reason #2: Chile has a Well-Aged Wine Culture. The country has made wine since Jesuit missionaries from Spain first planted vines there in the 1540s. In other words, they know what they're doing and you should relax when choosing a bottle. The oldest wineries still operating today were founded in the mid-1800s by families whose fortune came from gold and silver mining. Some of the most impressive wines come from Carmen, Chile's oldest winery, founded in 1850. Try the 2002 Carmen Reserve Merlot (product number 620690; $16.95), a full-bodied wine with aromas of dried herbals, black plums and spices.

Reason #3: You Can Taste History: You're drinking history when you drink Chilean wine. Just before that nasty little vine louse phylloxera devastated the vineyards of France in the late 1800s, vine cuttings from Bordeaux were planted in Chile.

Formidable geographic barriers meant that pest never made it to Chile: To the north is the Atacame Desert, the driest stretch of land in the world (it hasn't rained there in four years), and to the south, Patagonia with its Antarctic fields of ice. The Andes rise up in the east and the Pacific Ocean lies to the west. So as you sip a glass of Chilean merlot, you're drinking wine that has its roots in the nineteenth century.

Reason #4: A Grape to Call One's Own: Until recently, Chile didn't have a grape to call its own as does Argentina (malbec), California (zinfandel), Australia (shiraz) and South Africa (pinotage). But in 1994, scientists discovered that what Chilean winemakers had thought was merlot was actually a grape called carmenère (carmen-yair). Carmenère takes longer to ripen than merlot and therefore was often harvested too early before it was identified, which resulted in the wine having a green, vegetal character. Now that winemakers know the grapes they have planted, they're producing wine from carmenère with greater ripeness and deeper colour. Try the 2004 Casillero del Diablo Carmenère (620666; $11.95), a plush, generous wine with nuances of dark fruit and smoke.

Reason #5: Going Uphill: Traditionally, most vineyards were planted on the flat valley, where the soils were rich and well-irrigated with meltwater running down from the Andes. Some of the vineyards were even flooded just before harvest to bloat the grapes and increase the amount of juice for wine.

The trade-off was a bigger crop and lower prices but the wine wasn't as tasty. Now winemakers are planting vines on hillsides where they produce much more layered and delicious wine.

Reason #6: Hitting the Right Spots: Regions in the country now specialize in particular grapes. The Maipo Valley, a 300-mile cleft between the Andes and the coastal mountains, has developed an international reputation for its reds and is home to the country's best known wineries such as Santa Rita, Cousino Macul, Santa Carolina, Underraga and Carmen. Try the 2003 Cousino-Macul Antiguas Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon (212993; $14.80). This winery was described by the British wine writer Hugh Johnson as "The First Growth of Chile." This is an awesome wine that I've recommended several times. Lovely rich cassis, plums and currants.

Reason #7: Lucy's Shrimp Dish. You don't need an excuse to make Lucy Waverman's shrimp dish, but you probably would like some wine to go with it. Try the 2005 Santa Rita Sauvignon Blanc Reserva (275677; $12.95), a refreshing, crisp white with ripe grapefruit aromas that will dance with this dish.

I also want to highlight two of Lucy's cookbooks worth buying: A Matter of Taste, co-authored with the magnificent writer James Chatto whose book A Greek for Love you should also consider, as well as her new book due out this November (you can buy online now), Lucy's Kitchen.

Shrimp in Lemon Garlic Sauce

The lemon garlic sauce is an emerald green spicy, flavorful dip for the shrimps.

4 cups (1 L) water

1 tsp (5mL) Kosher salt

1 tsp (5mL) peppercorns

1tsp (5mL) chili flakes

2tsp (10mL) paprika

2 tsp (10mL) coriander seeds

24 jumbo shrimps


Lemon and Garlic Sauce:

1 tbsp (15 mL) chopped garlic

1 cup (250 mL) parsley leaves

½ cup (125 mL) coriander leaves

1 cup (250 mL) spinach leaves

2 tbsp (25 mL) lemon juice

2 tbsp (25 mL) orange juice

1 tsp (5 mL) grated orange rind

1/2 tsp (2 mL) chili flakes

½ cup (125 mL) olive oil

Salt and freshly ground pepper

In a large pot add water, salt, peppercorns, chili flakes, paprika and coriander seeds. Bring to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes. Add shrimp. Turn heat to medium low and poach for 4 to 5 minutes or until shrimp are pink and firm. Drain immediately and cool on a plate.

Combine garlic, parsley, coriander, spinach leaves, lemon and orange juice, orange rind and chili flakes in a food processor and process until chunky. With machine running, add oil down the feeder tube. The mixture will thicken and become smooth. Season with salt and pepper.

Serves 4 to 6

Reason #8: Lucy's Steak. Try a robust red with Lucy's steak. The 2003 Vina Carmen Grande Vidure Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve (439166; $17), an elegant, balanced and smooth wine with rich aromas of black plums and blackberries is a lovely match for Lucy's dish as well as for stews and roasts.

Tri Tip Steak

To best appreciate the wine we need to have a steak that has lots of flavor. Americans love tri tip as it is a flavorful, juicy steak. It is less known in Canada but butchers and cooks are now discovering it. Tri tip is the tail end of the sirloin tip. It is triangle-shaped and can either be cut into steaks or grilled as a whole piece.

This is an excellent grilled steak but if it is too cold to grill, here is another way to produce a fine result. If you prefer to grill it use medium-high heat and grill for about 6 minutes a side for medium rare (depends on the thickness of the steak). If you can find tri tip, this is the perfect steak for this wine. If not, a piece of top sirloin (not New York) will do nicely.

¼ cup (50 mL) Dijon mustard

2 tbsp (25 mL) soy sauce

2 tsp (10 mL) chopped garlic

¼ cup (50 mL) olive oil

3 lbs (1.5 kg) tri tip or sirloin steaks

Freshly ground pepper

Kosher salt to taste


Sauce:

I cup (250 mL) red wine

2 tbsp (25 mL) balsamic vinegar

¼ cup (50 mL) chopped shallots

6 peppercorns

½ cup (125mL) chopped peeled plum tomatoes

½ cup (125 mL) butter cut into small pieces

Combine mustard, soy sauce, garlic and 3 tbsp (45 mL) olive oil and spread over steak. Marinate for several hours or up to 12 hours in the refrigerator.

Preheat oven to 450 F (230 C).

Heat remaining 1 tbsp (15 mL) oil in skillet over medium high heat. Sprinkle steak with pepper and salt. Place in skillet and brown each side until golden, about 3 minutes a side. Remove from skillet and place on a baking sheet and bake for 12 minutes or until medium rare.

Remove from heat and let sit for 5 minutes. Slice into thin slices against the grain.

Using the same skillet that the steak was seared in, combine red wine, balsamic, shallots and peppercorns. Bring to boil on high heat and reduce until about 2 tbsp (25 mL) remains. Add chopped tomatoes to pan and turn heat to low. Cook for 2 minutes or until tomatoes are softened. Whisk in butter. Spoon over each steak serving.

Serves 6

Reason #9: Popular with the Jet Set. Like Australia, Chile is in the southern hemisphere and its seasons are the opposite of those in North America and Europe. Therefore, winemakers from the northern hemisphere can act as consultants or own their own wineries in Chile and their international influence has helped raise winemaking standards. Miguel Torres, of Catalonia, Spain, who opened winery in 1978, makes the fabulous 2003 Santa Digna Cabernet Miguel Torres (177451; $13.95), a juicy red with bright red fruit. This wine spent six months in American oak. Pair with barbecue and grilled meats. Drink 2005-2007.

Reason #10: More Range at the High End. I like the fact that Chile now offers more choices at the high end for when someone else is paying. One of my favorites is Concha y Toro Don Melchor Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. Also try the 2003 Santa Alicia Gran Reserva Merlot (XX; $XX) which won the gold medal at the 2002 Vinexpo in Japan. This powerful wine with aromas of dark fruit and chocolate is a delicious example of Chile's more premium wines.

There are so many reasons to try Chilean wines, but most of all, drink them because they're delicious. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to rumba over to my liquor store.