chilepic2The weekend is upon us and you may have your favorite, expensive bottle ready to open.  But there is more than enough space on the wine bar to open a few bottles of wine under or around $20.  It’s always fun for me to taste then suggest wines that are at or around that affordable price range.  I hope you find the wines reviewed below interesting enough to purchase and pair with a Friday night dinner at home, with friends who drop by unexpectedly, a Sunday supper, or with a good book waiting for you on the back porch!

The wines recommended this week are from two sub-regions of the Coquimbo Region in Chile and were sent to me as samples.  The area borders the Atacama Desert, is the most northerly of Chile’s wine regions, and has been known for producing table grapes and Pisco.  The sub-regions of Elqui, Limari, and Choapa were developed in the late 1990s and are beginning to positively impact the premium wine production in Chile thanks to new wineries using modern, innovative techniques.  All of the valleys boast abundant sunshine, cool breezes, mountain air, and brilliant stars at night.  I have found that the vast majority of wines from Chile represent a terrific value.

A white wine, the Maya 2013 Pedro Ximenez is produced in the Elqui Valley and the Olivier family, who started Vina Mayu in 2005, were the first to bring winemaking to that sub-region.  Pedro Ximenez vines, seventy years old, are grown in the free-form “alberello” style to increase their density as well as the “parral” style of trellising.  Low yield in order to increase the fruit quality is maintained.  Although the Pedro Ximenez grapes are mostly distilled to make pisco, lovely wines are being produced.  In my glass with colors of pale lemon with strands of gold, the intense aromas of the Maya 2013 were of citrus, lime, and zest.  Refreshing and fruity with a bit of salinity and a bracing finish, this dry wine was just what I needed on a hot late summer day. Cost is $15.

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The Merino 2012 Syrah is from the Limari Valley located at the most narrow point of Chile.  Cooling fog in the morning and low temperatures in the evenings with short, moderate temperature days make this sub-region optimal for world class Chardonnay and cool climate Syrah.  Grapes for the Merino 2012 were hand picked from sixteen year old vines, destemmed, lightly crushed, and fermented in stainless steel tanks.  They were then co-fermented with 3% Viognier, followed by time on its skins before pressing.  The free-run wine was aged in oak barrels for ten months then blended with the pressed wine held in stainless steel tanks.  As I poured the Syrah in my glass, I couldn’t help but notice its inky purple color.  On the nose I found black fruits including plums and blackberries.  I tasted a delicious blend of dark fruits, raspberries, smoke, meat, and a touch of minerality.  Be sure to aerate the wine for about thirty minutes before drinking.  The aromas and flavors will open and the finish will be quite smooth.  Cost is $18.

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Cheers to your weekend! ~ Cindy

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