Aconcagua Valley's Climate: Warm Maritime

Warm Maritime

Aconcagua Valley's Grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenere, Syrah

Cabernet Sauvignon

Cabernet Sauvignon is perhaps the most famous red grape. Its home is Bordeaux where it is was created as a cross between Cabernet Franc (red grape) and Sauvignon Blanc (white grape). Since then its popularity has spread and it is grown all around the world. It prefers warmer climates to ripen fully and even in Bordeaux some years it does not ripen. That is why Cabernet Franc is also used in Bordeaux blends as it ripens faster. What makes Cabernet so popular is not its bouquet, which can range from blackcurrants to cigar box, but its structure, typically having both tannins and acidity to create a smooth feeling in the mouth. The structure allows the blending with other grapes, perhaps the most famous pairing is Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot where the Cabernet provides the structure and the Merlot gives the wine the soft, rounded feel in the mouth. Recently Cabernet has been mixed with Sangiovese (Chianti's grape) to create the SuperTuscans.

Carmenere

Carmenere is a low-yielding, late-ripening red grape that produces deep-coloured, full-bodied wines. It�s at home in Chile, where more than 4,000 hectares of it are planted, chiefly in the Central Valley. But its roots are in the Medoc, surprisingly since there is so little of it in France now. It was cultivated there in the early 18th century and, with Cabernet Franc, made the reputations of this region�s best chateaux. It was also important in Graves but was abandoned in Bordeaux because of its susceptibility to coulure (poor fruit setting) and its resulting low yields. However, it was transported from there to South America before phylloxera, although it wasn�t until 1994 that a lot of the vines thought to be Merlot in Chile were identified as Carmenere. It is characterised by dark-fruit, cherry and herbal notes, sometimes even a gamey edge, and has the potential to make fine wine. Apart from Chile, Carmenere also turns up in northern Italy, again up until fairly recently under the mistaken identity of Cabernet Franc, as well as California. But, watch this space, it may even be heading for a revival in Bordeaux, where its synonym is Grande Vidure.

Syrah

Shiraz and Syrah are the same grape. However apart from Australia where it is always called Shiraz, and France where it is Syrah, the rest of the world tends to follow the style of these two. If the wine is ripe and full bodied the wine is often called Shiraz. If the wine has less fruit, more acidity and lower alcohol, it tends to be called Syrah after the wines produced into the North of Rhone. Shiraz/Syrah is produced by itself or can be blended typically in three ways. A small amount of the white grape Viognier can lift the deep flavours of Syrah, this is common in Northern Rhone. In Southern Rhone and recently Australia, blending has been based around adding Grenache and Mourvedre, copying the blending behind Chateauneuf-du-Pape. Even more recently Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz/Syrah has been blended in the Southern French wine region of Languedoc, creating big wines with elegance. Hotter climate Shiraz often has aromas of plum, tar and leather and with the right oak treatment even chocolate. Cooler climate Syrah can have a peppery note to the wine.