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Pinot Noir from Chile - it's Cool
Pinot Noir is a pretty fashionable red wine grape these days, but it is not an easy one for wine producers to make well. The only grape used to make red Burgundy in France, it is a sensitive little thing: it needs just the right climate, is pretty fussy about soil, hates lots of rain or extended drought during the growing season and then requires terribly sensitive handling in the winery. South America's leading wine exporter Chile is just beginning to make an impact with its Pinot Noir offerings. The fine wine areas of Chile stretch today from the Limari Valley in the southern part of the Atacama Desert down to about 500km south of the capital Santiago in the area known as Bio Bio. The country has what leading Pinot Noir producer Cono Sur's winemaker describes as 'crazy geography'. It is only 80-120km between the high Andes on the east and the cool Pacific Ocean on the west, so the influence of both mountains and ocean is important. Traditionally, Chile's best wines came from the warm, fertile Central Valley, but in the past 10-15 years producers have discovered areas that provide a cooler climate and give the vines a longer growing season, which allows flavours to develop more slowly, ideal for fine wines. The new coastal vineyard regions allow an extra 45 days ripening time compared to the warm Central Valley areas. Although Pinot Noir has existed in Chile since the 19th century, the biggest expansion has been in the last ten years, so it has only been quite recently that some really good Pinot Noir wines have emerged from Chile. Several wineries in Chile have decided to spend time improving their Pinot Noir winemaking techniques to great effect. A pre-fermentation cold maceration of the fruit is widely used and oak ageing is generally in French barrels rather than American, with a low proportion of new oak. Regions to look out for on a Chilean Pinot Noir label include the Casablanca Valley, San Antonio Valley (which incorporates Leyda - also seen sometimes on labels) and finally the Bio Bio Valley. All of these areas have the requisite fairly cool climate that Pinot Noir demands. Good Chilean Pinot Noir has a deeper, bright red colour than most Burgundy, the classic Chilean pure fruit character showing typical red fruit flavours, and a lovely soft mouth-feel. It's best to serve it not much warmer than a classic 'cellar temperature' meaning around 13C/55F, and it is really versatile with food, working well with strong fish such as grilled tuna as well as matching lightly spicy vegetarian and meat dishes. |
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