22nd October 2024 | Top Drops | 5 minute read
As the leaves turn brown and we head into the colder months, we’re reaching for our best Chilean wines. In the wine calendar, the cosy season is a great time of year for enjoying delicious drops from this part of the world, with Chilean Wine Day in September and International Carménère Day right at the end of November.
Join us as we celebrate two of the very best winemakers we have the privilege of working closely with in Chile (spoiler alert, you’ve definitely heard of them!).
With vineyards across Maipo Valley and the Itata Valley, two of Chile’s most important and exciting wine regions, the De Martino family has mastered the art of crafting a wine range that offers an impressive variety of styles without ever compromising on quality. These are some of the best Chilean wines around, appealing to many wine lovers with different preferences and tastes, from fans of rich, heavy reds to those who enjoy a fruity rosé or an aromatic white.
This massively experienced and deservedly well-decorated winery that dates back to 1934 has grown to be one of the most respected and progressive sustainable wineries in Chile with an ambition to create premium wines that reflect their origin. Sebastian De Martino and his team proudly achieve this through minimum intervention across their vineyards and by using organic and traditional winemaking methods that allow nuances from the terroir to shine through.
What makes De Martino so unique is the amount of ungrafted vines they preserve across their vineyards and use in their wines. Unlike the neat rows of grapevines we’re all used to seeing, ungrafted vines grow wild and free in whichever direction they please. They can look more like short, stubby trees than perfectly pruned plants.
Most of the world’s vines are grafted, which means they’re created by joining two different plants together, so what makes a rare, ancient, ungrafted vine so special is that it’s relatively untouched, and some believe the wine it produces has more pronounced, authentic flavours.
With so many incredible wines to choose from, we’ve made things easy for you by picking three of De Martino’s most delectable drops.
An exceptional barrel blend that’s brimming with delicious dark fruits and chocolate.
Produced in small quantities from only the finest Carménère and Cabernet grapes, this full-bodied red is exploding with blackberry, cassis and jalapeño on the nose, followed by bold fruit swaddled in toasty oak on the palate.
Complemented by complex notes of cedar and silky dark chocolate that linger on the finish, it’s an absolute showstopper that’s phenomenal on its own and equally fabulous with hearty winter dishes and cheese boards.
On the other end of the red wine scale we have this highly versatile drop that’s light, juicy and easy to drink. In fact, it’s so light and elegant that we often serve this chilled at our wine tasting events!
Carefully crafted from old-vine Cinsault grapes grown in De Martino’s 35-year-old Guarilihue vineyard in the Itata region, just 22km from the Pacific Ocean, where the unique microclimate allows the team to produce a more delicate style of red.
Indulge in succulent ripe red fruits that mingle with gentle hints of violet and stony salinity.
A balanced and textural white wine that has a sense of place, purity and history.
Made in their Itata vineyards from old-vine Muscat that’s been left on its skins in clay tinajas for six months to create a wonderfully complex nose and palate, this white is extremely impressive.
Lifting aromatics of clementine, rose water, apple blossom, fennel and orange zest delight the senses, while a saline minerality and creamy texture excite the palate. We’d recommend savouring a glass of this with fish or sweet and sour chicken.
Based in Chile’s most famous wine-producing region, Maipo Valley, Perez Cruz is a powerhouse of deeply delicious reds. Aside from one rather sumptuous rosé in the range, their signature style is complex, fruit-filled reds that flood the palate with a symphony of flavours. No wonder these are some of the bestselling bottles and most highly rated red wines on our website.
We are the oldest stockists of Perez Cruz in the UK and a huge supporter of everything they do. Over the last quarter of a century, we’ve seen them win countless awards for their top-tier wines and, in more recent years, become one of the most eco-friendly wineries in South America, alongside De Martino. Both producers have now achieved official Wines of Chile Sustainability Code certification, meaning the best Chilean wines on our website bring added joy to wine lovers who are ethically minded.
Thanks to the winery’s location in the stony foothills of the Andes Mountains where vines have to work extra hard to reach essential nutrients, Perez Cruz grapes naturally develop deeply concentrated flavours that result in powerful wines. Winemaker Germán Lyon and his talented team know exactly how to treat their product to ensure that these captivating aromas and flavours carry through from grape to glass.
If you’re a lover of silky-smooth reds, check out our top picks from the Perez Cruz range to sip and savour this season.
An enticingly intense, full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon that hits the spot every time.
This five-star creation greets you on the nose with distinct aromas of blackberry, blackcurrant and black cherry, followed by a palate layered with vanilla spice and hints of mint mingling with ripe black fruits.
With silky tannins, this Cabernet echoes the famous Bordeaux style of this grape variety, yet has that powerful fruit core we love about New World reds.
We couldn’t talk top drops from this producer without including a classic Chilean Carménère.
Boasting all the trademark qualities you’d expect from this Bordeaux grape that’s found a new home in Chile, this graceful red gives plummy juiciness, cassis fruitiness and a tannic mouthfeel.
Loaded with black fruit, earthy aromas and a well-defined spiciness, we’d recommend enjoying this one with your favourite curry.
To finish, we have another rich red, this time offering concentrated flavours with firm, polished tannins and a long, persistent finish.
Spicy on the nose with warm black fruits on the palate, this beautiful blend of Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Carménère is complex and concentrated with peppery notes, juicy blackberry and chocolate-rich, buttery creaminess.
Mouthwateringly moreish, enjoy this top drop with a succulent steak or simply while you’re curled up on the sofa.
If, like us, you fancy pairing the chilly nights with some Chilean delights, hit the red button below to browse De Martino, Perez Cruz and other South American palate pleasers.
