Undurraga vineyard and tasting

In Chile wine tasting is a bit different to the Australian cellar door, one of the main things are that the vineyards require a reservation or that you are part of a wine tour, where they tell you a bit about the grapes, show you their massive vats for fermentation, tell you how special your wine is before getting you drink and trying to sell you as many bottles as possible. The tour usually comes with an associated cost.

As i have mentioned getting by in Chile with a smattering of rusty Spanish is tricky so we booked a tour to Undurraga (founded in 1883, one of the oldest wineries in Chile) with a local company Turistik, who also run the sightseeing buses. this was mainly because they were the only tour company whose sales people we could understand, and who understood us (and also promised us a tour in English)

For our 29,000 pesos each (45 GBP) we got an afternoon of being driven to a winery on a bus, a tour, a tasting and a free glass to take home. Our guide on the bus gave us an interesting introduction to Chilean wine and its history and told us about a drink they call an Earthquake, this is a mix of pineapple ice-cream and pipeno, which, after you have drunk enough, apparently makes the ground feel like it is shaking. Something I will have to try at some point.

The tour itself was interesting, especially learning about the Carmenes which the Chilean's imported in the 1880's from France, but then forgot about (mistaking it for merlot). During the following century it disappeared from French vineyards and from Chilean recollection until someone noticed the merlot they were picking was in fact not merlot! It has now become one of Chile's signature wines.

As well as being a beautiful setting in the maipo valley (pictured) the wines themselves were also good. If your not interesting in the tasting notes skip to the next blog but here are some thoughts on the Undurraga wines we tried (I even made proper notes this time as usually after a few glasses I forget everything I have drunk)

Sibanis Reserva Especial
Cabernet Sauvignon 2011
This was still a bit young despite being aged for 12 months in American oak. It was certainly strong weighing in with a handy 14% it had some impressive legs.

The wine itself was a bright deep ruby colour with hints of Oak and vanilla on the nose surrounded by ripe reds fruits. Strawberry and cherry came to the fore when drinking and although it was not too acidic on the tongue there was some acidity during the peppery finish.

Collera (pictured) sold as Founders Collection in UK
2007 Cabernet Sauvignon
Aged for 16 months in French oak this was quite a deep red with a hint of violet, it had a bouquet of blueberries and ripe red fruits. These were also noticeable on the palette with a long smooth, slightly smoky finish, definitely a good wine for a joint of beef on Sunday lunchtime.