Chile Tasting at the Hotel du Vin, 25th October 2010

Our new Chilean arrivals showed very well at last night's Chilean tasting at the Hotel du Vin in Winchester.  Winners were (in terms of general approval and sales): the Vina Casablanca Blanc de Blancs (which no-one buys until they taste it - clearly Chilean fizz, however good it is, is barely acceptable to serve yet!); the splendidly open and exotically fruity 2010 Anakena Sauvignon Blanc; the same estate's Leyda Pinot Noir, a supple, early maturing example which should make a lot of friends when we drop it into the Christmas list; Luis Felipe Edwards bold and forthright Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon from Colchagua; Tabali's 2009 Carmenere, inky but with subtle dry-fruited depths; and finally Kuyen, Alvaro Espinoza's second wine, based on Syrah. This last is a deep and well-structured wine with keeping potential too.

Peter Greet from Luis Felipe Edwards was kind enough to say that our Chilean range was among the most interesting in the country (and he didn't have to, as we had already paid his estate!). Top venue, delicious wines, what more could one want....