Wines Of Chile With Francisca Jara. But Not As We Know Them

Wines Of Chile With Francisca Jara

But Not As We Know Them

Some of the wines.
Pic by Francisca.

Chilean wine-writer Francisca Jara started her Wednesday Chilean tasting in L’Atitude by saying that a new style was to be shown tonight. “Chile has more than cheap wines, more than the major varieties. Irish supermarkets don't have what we drink in Chile.”

“Wine writers, including Jancis Robinson, are talking about a Chilean revolution. In the last ten years, a new generation of winemakers has emerged with a new mindset...with a challenge to the big wineries. The wine revolution is no exaggeration.”

This is the second revolution in the South American country. Chile has a tradition of winemaking going back for centuries but, “in the last 36 years, everything changed”. That big change, to a more professional approach, in both the vineyard and winery, was sparked by the arrival of Spanish family Torres.

The newest revolution is also noted in the World Atlas of Wine: "No other country has been sprouting new wine regions as rapidly as Chile...viticultural limits are being tested in all directions. Her wines are becoming more refined, and more regionally distinct."

Francisca Jara

The new generation that Francisca was talking about are inclined to the organic, inclined to make the best of the lesser varieties and that we would see as the evening unfolded. There are two organisations spearheading this new approach: MOVI and VIGNO. And they in turn are spurring the established wine companies to better things.

Jancis Robinson: “The MOVI and VIGNO crew are a cheeky lot and have clearly enjoyed cocking a snook at the old guard of Chilean wine, which makes it all the more remarkable that there has been such a rush to copy them from precisely the big companies that they set out to shake. Casa Lapostolle, Miguel Torres, Santa Emiliana, Undurraga, Valdivieso, De Martino, the American Jackson Family Estates and now the biggest of them all, Concha y Toro, have all asked to join the VIGNO club and use its eye-catching logo on at least one of their labels.” Read the full article here.

It was appropriate that we had Torres among the six bottles tasted. They had two as did Vinos Frios. Perhaps the most remarkable was the Carrigan from the “Wild Vineyards”. Francisa also cooked the matching bites, all excellent, though my favourite was the Beans and Reins Stew!

1 Miguel Torres Dias de Verano Reserva Muscat 2014

“This is the Chilean summer, a simple wine to drink.” Peach and floral aromas, nice acidity, good balance and a lovely match for seafood as we confirmed when we were served with the Ceviche, a traditional Chilean coastal food.

Chile has over 8,000 acres of this prolific Muscat, much of it used in the production of Pisco, the national spirit. Did you know that Chile is ranked 10th in the world in terms of wine acreage but only 35th in the consumption league? That leaves a lot for export and Ireland takes up a good deal of the slack! “Wish we Chileans drank and enjoyed like you Irish,” joked Francisca.

Juan Alejandro Jofré of Vinos Frios del Ano

2 Vinos Frios Del Ano Rosado 2014 (Grenache)

Rosé is a relatively recent development in Chile, according to Francisca. “Before it was very sweet, now they are making good rosé.” Purpose made, not as an careless afterthought. “I’m happy,” she said. “I wanted to try this one myself.”

It is the first Chilean rosé to be made from Grenache, no oak but with three months on lees to improve the body. It was juicy and vibrant from an innovative winemaker, Juan Alejandro Jofré,  and went very well indeed with the smoked mackerel.

3 Luis Antoine Luyt 2013 tinto (Cinsault)

Now we were on to a natural wine (available from Le Caveau) with its striking label, based on old Chilean bus signage. “Five years ago, natural wine was almost an underground movement in Chile. This is 100% Cinsault, from really old vines (80 years plus), no added sulphites, no oak.”

The consensus was juicy and fruity, strawberry aromas, with tannins “a bit rustic”. “This is the wine that a farmer might pour a glass from a barrel in the yard for his visitor and serve with an empanada.” Rustic or not, it features in John Wilson’s Wilson on Wines 2016. Oh, by the way, it went really well with that terrific empanada.

To know more on this wine, check here.

4 Villalobos ”The Wild Vineyards” Carignan 2010

The vineyards for this wine were planted in the 1950s (maybe 1940s, no one knows for certain!).  The Villalobos family came there in the ‘70s and the ten acres of vineyard were “full of weeds and briars.. cows were eating the grapes there.”

A long time later, “they eventually decided to make wine, they made it in a rustic way.” It was successful and a few years ago they went commercial. The Carignan grape is getting very popular in Chile and there is an association, the VIGNO mentioned above, of Carrignan producers.

This has a lovely colour and the aromas are rather unique: red fruit, herbs, meaty. It is fresh, fruity, with good acidity and “easy-drinking” and is available from Le Caveau. “It is good to pair it with meat, stews, cheese.” Francisca paired it with the traditional Bean and Reins, a kind of cassoulet, “a comfort food for the winter. Every Chilean family, rich and poor, eats it.” I could see why!

To know more of this wine, check here.

5 Vinos Frios Del Ano Tinto 2014 (blend)

Many of you will have heard how a French ampelographer Jean Michel Boursiquot re-discovered Carmenere in Chile and how it went on to become almost the national grape there. As Francisca put it: “It became another good-a story for Chile”. It just underlined the theme, diversity, of the evening and, unusually, was served chilled. Carmenere is just part of the blend here with Carignan (40%) and Tempranillo (40%) the major components.

The nose featured berries, spice, and floral elements. There was a lovely fruit and freshness, good acidity, good body, quite a personality. But don't forget to serve it chilled! Francisca said it goes well with fatty and oily food and the Ummera smoked duck was just perfect. By the way, the Chilean wine-writers are “loving this one”.

6 Miguel Torres Reserva de Pueblo 2014 (País)

This ancient grape has been historically used by farmers for home-made wines but País became less and less significant as the bigger wineries, concentrating on the major grapes, became more important.

The new generation though has sparked a comeback and “now we can feel proud again of our previously neglected varieties. This has more fruit, no oak used.” It was paired with Hegarty's Cheddar and that was a treat. By the way, Torres make a sparkling wine, Estelado, from this grape.

That was the last of the wines of this very interesting tasting, a very enjoyable and informative one. “I hope I have shown you that there is more to Chilean wine than the supermarket. Hope you enjoyed!” We certainly did, Francisca!

• Francisca is a wine journalist from the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile. She worked in TV and magazines until 2012 when she moved to the Food and Wine Magazine LA CAV, where she wrote until she moved to Ireland in 2015. In 2013 she obtained the Chilean Wine Diploma in Wine Production and Tasting, in the same university where she studied Journalism.

M. Chapoutier. Poet of the Rhone

M. Chapoutier. Poet of the Rhone.

Enjoy. Don’t Over Analyse.

The M. Chapoutier motto is Fac et Spera - do and hope. Two words that sum up all the patience and daring that this art demands: patience in relation to nature which presides; daring for the winemaker, who observes, chooses and assists.The wine will be the faithful expression of this alchemy.

This winery and negociant business is situated in the Rhone area (and with vineyards further afield, including Australia). “Our own vineyards and the single vineyards that we select from are cultivated either organically or biodynamically.”

Michael, who introduced labels in Braille for his wines in 1999, is very much his own man as you can see from the numerous videos available on-line. I have  a short-list below and the first one is probably the best.

Lovely 2011 drive through the vineyards after coming down
 from a misty Mt Ventoux. Wish I was there now!

Michel, a terroir lover, is the current man but the family have been making wines for over two hundred years and there are other M. Chapoutiers in and coming into the business. I’ve read that If you are a Chapoutier baby, your first name will begin with M!

To give you an idea of Michel’s character, before you check the videos, I have a few quotes below. In one of the videos, you’ll hear him say that it was the English who added the H to Ermitage! Some of his wines are named Ermitage.

“I will not use the power of death (herbicides, pesticides, other -ides) but I will use the power of life.”

“Two people talk about love, the poet and the gynaecologist. I prefer the poet.” In other words, don't overanalyze as you may take the fun out of wine.

“It is very easy to concentrate a wine but it is gross….. Stuff fragrance…”

Quite a man. And quite a wine-maker too, one of the big names of the Rhone, according to Larousse. He makes beautiful wines and I enjoyed a few of them recently.

Chapoutier links:

Videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0RHYFT0PNA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUXb8hb-buA

http://belleruchewines.com/michel/

No shortage of choice when I sat down
for lunch in Gigondas in June 2011

M. Chapoutier Gigondas (AOC) 2014, 14%, €25.95 Bradley’s

According to M. Chapoutier, texture, flavour, length and body are more important than fruit, much more important than fragrance. “Stuff fragrance,” he emphasises in one of the videos above. Reckon he followed his own advice here with this Rhone gem, though there is no shortage of aromas in this bright and healthy looking ruby wine, an attractive mash of red fruit (strawberries mainly) on the nose.

It is strikingly fresh on the palate, superb body with no shortage of flavours, acidity light and effective in the balance, and the finish goes on and on. Chapoutier makes wine to go with food and this is just one excellent example. A classy wine and Very Highly Recommended.

Grenache is the main grape here, with Syrah, Cinsault and Mourvedre playing the supporting roles. A part of the wine is aged in oak casks before being blended with the other part. This wine is then aged from 12 to 16 months before bottling.

The village of Gigondas was a winegrowing area up until the time of the phylloxera epidemic at the end of the XXth Century. As a consequence of the disaster, Gigondas chose to turn towards olive growing. However, following the " Black Frosts " in 1956 which destroyed the greater part of its olive trees Gigondas reverted to winegrowing, re-implanting high quality vineyards- and which nevertheless had to wait until 1971 before gaining A.O.C. acknowledgement.

M. Chapoutier Rasteau (AOC) 2013, 14%, €19.95 Bradley’s

Colour of this blend of Grenache and Syrah is a quite a deep crimson. And there are rather intense aromas of very ripe fruit, also a little pepper. Generous fruit and some spice too on the palate, juicy in a light manner, lively acidity, well balanced and an excellent warm finish. Highly Recommended.

Rasteau is one of the Crus of the Cotes du Rhone; it is allowed use just the village name on the label and is a step up on the AC Cotes du Rhone Villages named village, two steps up on AC Cotes du Rhone Villages and three steps up on the AC Cotes du Rhone! Other villages on a par with Rasteau include Gigondas, Vinsobres and Vacqueyras. Rasteau and the neighbouring Beaumes de Venise also make a fortified wine, a red one in the case of Rasteau.

M. Chapoutier Belleruche Cotes du Rhone (AOC) 2014, 13.5%, €14.95 Bradley’s

Garnet is the colour of this blend of mainly Grenache and Syrah. Aromas are mainly red fruit (cherry), some spice too. On the palate, you get that fruit again, a lovely drift of spice, good acidity, fine tannins too. An excellent and rather complex example of a very well made Rhone wine, at a level close to higher applications, and Highly Recommended

The vineyards of the red Côtes du Rhône “Belleruche” covers 4 departments (Drôme, Vaucluse, Gard and Ardèche) on different soils (clay and calcareous alluvial deposit terraces, clay…) giving to the “Belleruche” an extraordinary richness and complexity.

Also available in white.

Arriving in Beaumes de Venise

M. Chapoutier Muscat de Beaumes de Venise (AOC) 2012, 15.5%, €17.95 (37.5cl) Bradley’s

Vin doux naturel (vdn), or naturally sweet wines, have a long history. Like port, a spirit (in this case, a neutral grape spirit), is added before all the sugar has been converted to alcohol. Chapoutier also makes a similar wine to this in Banyuls in the Languedoc. Both are intended to “prolong the pleasure of a good meal”.

Colour is a light (and bright) gold and the attractive aromas are of candied fruits and there are also floral notes. The aromas continue strong in this well balanced wine. There is no excessive sweetness here, no cloying stickiness. Light and lovely and Very Highly Recommended.

The grape by the way is Muscat petit grains. Beaumes de Venise is quite a small place, in the shadow of Mont Ventoux. I have happy memories of a visit there. I had just come down from a grey drizzle on top of the mountain and a temperature of about six degrees. Down in the valley as we drove towards Beaumes it rose to the mid twenties.

We had a tasting in a shop in the village and a friendly lady was very generous when she poured the golden liquid into your tasting glass. There was no spittoon! And so we had to cut our tasting mission short but got back to the nearby villages, including Gigondas and Vacqueyras, a few days later.

Other

La Bernardine Chateauneuf du Pape 2013, €39.95

Les Meysonniers Crozes Hermitage, €21.95 See my recent review here. Very Highly Recommended.

FX Buckley. Exquisite Steak in Dublin City

FX Buckley

Exquisite Steak in Dublin City

No shortage of beef here!

Ended up with James Joyce in Dublin the week before last.

Just name-dropping, really. I was in the FX Buckley Steakhouse in Pembroke Street, another Dublin institution, and had just finished an exquisite steak dish. No room for dessert but certainly room and inclination for their James Joyce cocktail made with Powers Pot Still Whiskey, Triple Sec, Rosso Vermouth and lime juice.

Francis Xavier Buckley opened his first butcher shop on Moore Street in 1930 and this soon became a well-known Dublin institution. Since then it was part of a natural progression to open their own steakhouses around the city and serve their famous beef from their butchers to your table. You’ll find them in Pembroke St.,  Crow St.,  Ryan's Parkgate St.,  Bull & Castle (near Dublin Castle) and at The Pub @ FXB Monkstown.

With large glass-fronted fridges behind me, I thought my 8 ounce fillet looked a bit lonely on the plate with its little pot of pepper sauce (30.00). Of course, I could have had ordered a larger size or more sides than just their Beef Dripping Chips. But is was perfect. Exquisitely so. Tender and full of flavour and big enough too, a succulent sufficiency. And those chips. Must be the best around!

Meanwhile, CL was tucking into her Six ounce medallions of fillet beef, served with spring onion mash, shallots, mushroom and red wine jus (23.00). With all the steak dishes, you can order extra sides.

The Irish “grass-fed heritage steaks” are normally Angus or Hereford but from time to time, they may have Dexter or Irish Moiled meat available. All will have been aged for 28 days by the time they reach your plate.

The only steak that features on the A La Carte starter list is the Fillet Steak tartare. There are some great choices here including Black Pudding Croquette; Carlingford Lough Oysters; Asparagus, poached egg and Hollandaise; Foie Gras and Duck liver Paté.

CL was delighted with her Kilkeel Harbour Scallops, served with a Buckley black-pudding, with crushed mint peas and hollandais (13.50). A terrific combination with, surprisingly, the peas playing a starring role.

My choice was the FX Buckley cured salmon blini, with chive crème fraîche and mustard honey dressing (9.50). Went through that one fairly quickly, I can tell you, very tasty indeed.

What to drink? We had been at a wine-tasting that afternoon so settled on beer in Buckley’s. The fact that they have their own ale helped. It was a nice one too though I preferred the large bottle of O’Hara’s Pale Ale. By the way, there is no shortage of wine here. It is a massive list with the reds in the majority, some very expensive, some very affordable.

And no shortage of cocktails either. When it came to making up my mind, I decided to stick with the locals and Mr Joyce. And I enjoyed his company very much indeed.

Taste of the Week. Cashel Blue

Taste of the Week

Cashel Blue

When I’m looking for a blue cheese, I rarely venture beyond Cashel. Here, the Grubb family are famous for Cashel Blue (cows) and Crozier Blue (sheep). Of course I’ve tried many of the other Irish blues and very good they are too. Some French ones too.

Indeed, it was in France, a few years ago, that I once had reason to fly the Irish flag. In a wine shop in Rasteau, a lady was giving me a tasting of their sweet red wine, recommending I pair it with my Stilton. I couldn't stay quiet on that one and so told her all about our very own Cashel. She was unfazed, started her sales speech again and told me to pair it with Cashel Blue! As if it was all her own idea. We had a good laugh, a very enjoyable visit and left with a few cases of their Cotes du Rhone and a few bottles of the Rasteau vdn.

I was lucky in the days before Christmas to win a cheese hamper from Sheridan's Cheese and the biggest piece in the box was a mature Cashel Blue, our Taste of the Week. Blue for sure but contained in that marvellous irresistible creaminess from the well watered grass of Tipperary. This Cashel Blue Extra Mature "is selected and matured to be creamy and buttery, with perfectly integrated blue flavour". I reckon the Grubbs and the Sheridans have this spot-on!

One of the great blues. No wonder it is so popular in Ireland. Indeed, it is sold all over the world including in dozens of outlets in France (mainly in Paris). Stockists here.

The Sharp Knife Cooks Woodside Farm. Naked Piggy In Urban Jungle. Cider too.

The Sharp Knife Cooks Woodside Farm.

Naked Piggy In Urban Jungle. Cider too.

The Sharp Knife

The Urban Jungle, with its barber, its tattoo parlour, its graffiti, its painted car bonnets and hanging skateboards, its ping-pong and football tables, is hardly a fine dining venue. Well, not fine dining as it’s generally known. But Bryan and Mike, the guys that make up The Sharp Knife, are determined to make their mark on the new dining scene. These gourmet guerrillas pop-up and you pop-in and enjoy very fine food indeed.

Woodside banner draped over car bonnet with graffiti

The Plate (for a tenner):

The Naked Piggy - The Woodside Farm pork shoulder is smoked on the bone for 14 hours, low and slow. Not a pinch of seasoning is used.. no salt, no pepper...NADA. So when we say naked, we mean NAKED.. After 14 hours the meat is pulled and mixed with a light organic apple cider vinaigrette and served on a toasted mini slider. That’s it..Pure Pork Heaven.

El Salvador - Translated to ‘The Saviour’, this rich intense pork stew is everything you need in life. Topped with sour cream, pineapple pico de gallo and fresh coriander. Once you try this stew, you’ll understand why it had to be called..’El Salvador’.

The Beast from the East - Our gorgeous belly of pork marinated for at least two days in a mix of Asian spices and herbs. It’s then smoked low and slow for at least 6 hours and finished at the end with a rich sticky glaze. Served in a lettuce cup, with toasted sesame seeds, crushed peanuts, Vietnamese style pickle and fresh herbs. A light and flavoursome dish, teasing the senses on all levels.

Inside the Urban Jungle (in the Mardyke complex)

The Verdict

Not alone can these guys talk the talk, they can indeed walk the walk.

We are very familiar with the Woodside shoulder so had a good idea of what was coming with the Naked Piggy. Amazing delicious pork that spoke of the clean farm in East Cork from whence it came. Pure Pork Heaven is not an exaggeration.

And, after that El Salvador, we were ready for a night in the Urban Jungle. This amazingly flavoursome stew would revive you even after a trek in the jungle, equally so after a hard day at the desk or on the tractor!

A few years ago in the Loire, we came across a Vietnamese food truck and we kept returning there during the holiday. After sampling the Beast from the East, I reckon The Sharp Knife duo could well do something similar. This had all the characteristics of an light and flavoursome Asian dish, right down to the crunch of the vegetables and the lettuce cup. Teasing the senses on all levels? Yes indeed, teasing and ultimately very satisfying.

A terrific trio by a terrific trio (the two chefs are helped by Roisin out front). Great ingredients, expertly handled and cooked, and all washed down with a warming glass of mulled cider (with a pint of Rebel Red from the bar as reserve!).

Indeed, a recent Sharp Knive pop-up involved Franciscan Well beers and beef and that, at the North Mall, was also a success. Watch out for their next event. Find them on Facebook and on Twitter @sharpknifecork. They also do the food for the market in Urban Jungle (last Sunday of every month).