Cost: $19-21
W ith summer grilling season kicking in as we approach Memorial Day, I thought it would be appropriate to try something we can drink with all kinds of grilled food.
I love to cook over charcoal, and we’re lucky in our region because we can do that all year long. But the grill definitely gets its biggest workout in the summer.
When grilling, a cold beer always works well, as does iced tea. But I love a big, bold red wine when grilling beef, or a crisp white when grilling fish.
Santa Carolina has a couple of great Sauvignon Blancs for those fish days, and this Carmenére is perfect for just about any red meat on the grill.
It is a gorgeous deep red in the glass, with complex aromas of black fruit, spice and minerals. The first sip fills your mouth with ripe blackberry and plum flavors, along with chocolate and coffee. The flavors are layered, unfolding one after another, with a lush mouthfeel and soft tannins. The finish is long and smooth.
When you drink this wine, don’t let it get too warm. I would serve it about 65 degrees, and open it at least 30 minutes before drinking.
Santa Carolina is one of the oldest and most respected wineries in Chile. It gets the grapes for this wine from two of its estates in the Rapel Valey. Los Lingues, close to the Andes Mountains, is influenced by cool air descending from the mountain peaks and provides structure and fruit concentration.
Pichidegua, closer to the Coastal Range, is influenced by rivers flowing through the region, resulting in big differences between day and night temperatures. These grapes provide elegance and complexity to the blend.
After a traditional fermentation with selected yeasts, the wine spends 15 months in barrels and six months of bottle aging before release.
This is a beautiful wine, typical of the great wine produced in Chile. Though long known for bargain wines, Chile is now turning out fantastic wine in all price ranges and challenging some of the best wines in the world in the upper range.
Though originally a French grape, Carmenére is regarded as Chile’s national grape. For decades Chilean growers thought it was Merlot, until tests in 1994 showed it to be Carmenére. More Carmenére is grown in Chile than anywhere else.
The tannins are gentler and softer than those in Cabernet Sauvignon, and Carmenére now often is blended with Cabernet, much as it was in Bordeaux 150 years ago, before it virtually disappeared there.
If you like a full, rich red wine without the sharp tannins of a young Cab, you’ll love Carmenére, especially this Carmenére.
The Santa Carolina Cab also is a powerful, complex wine with layers of red fruit and chocolate. It is perfectly balanced, with soft, velvety tannins. It is a wine that should grow better in your cellar for 8-10 years.
Winery: Viña Santa Carolina (pronounce it car-o-LEEN-uh) is one of the oldest and most prestigious wine companies in Chile, tracing its ancestry to 1875. That’s when Luis Pereira Cotapos had the dream of producing a Bordeaux wine in the New World.
He brought vines from France and lured three French winemakers to Chile to help him. Their first international gold medal came in 1889 from an exposition in Paris. Since then the winery has won worldwide acclaim for its wines.
The founder named his company after his beloved wife, Mrs. Carolina Iñiguez Vicuña.
When the company was getting established it hired French architect Emile Doyeré to design and build a warehouse to keep the wines at optimal conditions. He did such a good job the cellar is still used today and was declared a National Monument in 1973 for its architectural beauty and excellent state of conservation.
In 1975, Viña Santa Carolina was purchased by the prestigious Larrain family; by 1986 Viña Santa Carolina was one of the top Chilean brands exported to the U.S. and has remained among the top Chilean brands ever since. Today, Viña Santa Carolina is the fourth largest exporter of wines from Chile.
The company exports 80% of its total production to 85 countries.
The parent company owns nine brands, including Santa Carolina, Casablanca, Finca el Origen, Vistaña and Ochagavía brands sold in the United States.
Under Santa Carolina, the Estrellas range looks for the typical expression of a varietal. Reserva Estate wines explore terroirs in various regions of Chile. Reserva de Familia wines feature concentration of fruit with concentrated, complex flavors.
While staying true to its heritage, the company continues to invest in modern equipment. It also employs modern sustainable farming practices.
The winery was hit by the earthquake of 2010, but was rebuilt and reopened in 2012.
Goes with: This Carmenére was a great match for grilled hamburgers. My wife Teri and I enjoyed a meal on our deck during one of the many pleasant days this spring. The warm, lush fruit tastes worked really well with the ground beef.
We also tried the Cab with homemade burgers, and the wine was great, too. Both are great choices for burgers.
I love making my own burgers; they are great the first day, and there usually are enough leftovers for another snack or meal.
My recipe is to mix about one pound of good quality ground beef with half a sweet onion, diced. Add seasonings (I like Morton’s Nature’s Seasons) and one egg. Mix it all up and form thick patties to place on the grill over direct heat.
Cook about 10 minutes per side, watching for flareups on the grill. I usually squirt some water on the coals if dripping grease causes flames. I like the burgers with a little pink inside, but if they end up well done, they still taste good. If you want a cheeseburger, put a slice of cheese on top for the last 2-3 minutes of cooking.
This wine also pairs well with Indian lamb curry, rack of lamb with rosemary and garlic, pasta with tomato sauce and mild cheeses.
Author Dennis Sodomka