Smart Set Press has launched Planet of the Grapes, a new series of digital wine guides. Volume 1: Alternative Reds recommends carménère:
In 1993, no one believed carménère existed anymore. Until the late 1800s, carménère
had been one of the prime grapes blended in Bordeaux. But it was thought to have mostly died off in the late 19th century, during the great epidemic of phylloxera (a devastating, sap-sucking insect) that killed off so many vineyards in France.
Then, in Chile in the early 1990s, winemakers got a hunch that much of their merlot might actually be carménère, and that eventually was verified through DNA testing by French viticulturalist Jean-Michel Boursiquot. How carménère got from France to Chile, and thrived, no one knows for sure. But for some reason, phylloxera has never threatened there.
Suddenly, Chile had its very own Bordeaux grape variety, just like neighboring Argentina with its malbec. As winemaking in Chile has improved carménère is really starting to come into its own. What I like about the best carménère is its distinctive pepper; spice; and deep, dark fruit character, more plum than berry. When it’s good, there’s really nothing like it.
(Photo by Carlos Varela)
The Dish 