Carménère has a fascinating history.  In the 19th Century Carménère was a main compenent of Bordeaux, where it was sometimes called Grand Vidure, and considered every bit the equal to Cabernet Sauvignon.  However, it is a finicky grape, particularly in the often wet climate of Bordeaux.  When the Bordeaux vineyards were replanted following the phylloxera epidemic at the end of the 19th century, Carménère was almost completely replaced by Merlot, an earlier ripening grape that made good wine more of the time, but rarely made wine that rivalled the best Carménère.

Luckily for the world,  just prior to the phylloxera epidemic, there was a great exodus of French Winemakers to South America.  They were fleeing the, ultimately less devastating, powdery mildew epidemic of the 1850’s, and planted giant tracts of Chile’s Central Valley with cuttings of Bordeaux Varieties.  Sometime down the line, a translation error occured, and Vineyards planted to a blend of Carménère and Merlot, usually close to 90% Carménère, were labeled as Merlot.  This mistake went on for over one hundred years, until wine critics in the early 1990’s began commenting that Chile’s Merlot had a very interesting, but decidedly un-Merlotlike character.  Finally, genetic ampelographers (ampelography is the science of the classification of grapes) confirmed that most of what was called Merlot in Chile was in fact a nearly extinct Bordeaux variety called Carménère that looked almost exactly like Merlot, but acted much differently.  In 1996 the Chilean Government officially recognized Carménère as a planted variety, and as of 1998 it was legal to label wines as being made from Carménère.

You would be entitled to ask, after this long-winded historical digression, “why should I care?”  The short answer lies in this delicious bottle of wine, but the long answer is that Carménère is a unique, and truly delightful variety, that may have found it’s natural place (more so than even in Bordeaux) in Chile’s Central Valley Wine Regions.  The flavors of good Carménère are an intriguing and sophisticated blend of savory – think roasted bell pepper, coriander, soy sauce, coffee and celery root – combined with sweet, rich fruit – of blackberries, plums and mulberries – that make a near perfect match.  Carménère is naturally low in tannin and acidity, and only give rough wines when it is underripe or over-watered.

Terra Andina is a large, but really high-quality wine concern making wine from over 23 vineyards up and down 1300 kilometers of Chile’s skinny but massively tall expanse.   Winemaker Oscar Salas makes the most of their giant, modern facility, and gets amazingly consistent, and consistently characterful results, especially when working with exciting grapes like Carménère.

I think of Carménère whenever grilling season begins, because it is such a perfect accompaniment to all things grilled.  Think lamb, flank steak, and grilled vegetables, but it’s also great with grilled salmon (leave the skin on).  Drink now – 2013