Drink Chile 2023

On November 20 we went to the venerable Windsor Arms hotel in Toronto, where a large hall was fully loaded with food and drink, awaiting the sommeliers, restaurateurs, wine brokers, press and members of the general public, there to spend an enjoyable and, in many cases, productive afternoon.

For once, we decided to go by the book, that is the tasting guide and notes book, as opposed to our usual mix and match. Keeping with the organization theme, we decided to take a quick tour of the tasting tables and familiarize ourselves with the layout and find the food table. For us, who just taste some of the wines, but drink others, it is important to get a certain measure of food, especially cheese, in order to be able to last all the way. It is well known that fat is dampening the effects of alcohol, enabling one to have a larger intake. 

So, we started the tasting at Arboleda wines, to us a new producer. We first tried the Brisa, a full-bodied wine with deep, mineral acidity. We proceeded to the Carmenere, full of earthy notes, that will be in the LCBO in June. The Cab Sauvignon was the lats wine we tasted there and it had a nice, straight-forward tonality.

At Casas Del Bosque we tried the Botanic Series Rose, a vegan, sustainable wine making its way to LCBO shelves in June. It is a dry, full-bodied rose, and we detected strawberry and watermelon. We then went for the Sauvignon Blanc, a floral wine with strong gooseberry notes. For us, the last wine here was the Gran Reserva, a surprisingly low in tanins wine with earthy notes.

Next, at Casas Del Toqui, we tasted the Gran Reserva Carmenere (not yet on the shelves) and the Gran Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon (a low tannins wine, already sold at LCBO). We closed with the Reserva Semillon, a light, fresh wine with floral notes.

We then proceeded to the famous Concha y Toro, where we first tasted the Marques de Casa Concha, a wonderful, mainly Cab Sauvignon (with some Cab Franc). It is 63% fermented in pre-used barrels and can be cellared for up to 10 years. We also tasted the Diablo Crystal, a sweetish Sauvignon Blanc with vinho verde notes. 

Our next stop, was the equally famous Cono Sur where we tasted both the Chardonnay (with nice minerality) and the Pinot Noir, a wine with nice aroma and acidity.

Before we hit the food table and tasted some nice canapes and some well-paired cheeses, we stopped at the Emiliana Organic Vineyards stand. There we sampled their fruity Adobe Rose, based on Syrah grapes. We also had the Coyam an organic, biodynamic red blend, aged for 15 months in wood.

 After the delicious food, we next headed to Errazuriz, where we tasted the 2018 Don Maximiano, the founder's reserve, with nice acidity.

Taking a break from wine, we sampled the several types of Pisco Bauza on hand at the Pisco Bar, that were served to us as cocktails. They were very refreshing and they paired well with some of the cheeses available nearby.

We were then attracted to the bubby on the Las Ninas' table. We tried the Traditional Method Brut, with nice acidity, and the Traditional Method Rose, a fruity bubbly. We also sampled the new Ella Chardonnay, available at LCBO in June.

At Luis Felipe Edwards, we had the Gran Reserva Sauvignon Blanc, a floral wine, the Marea Sauvignon Blanc, a next gen sauvignon, as well as the Dona Bernarda Red Blend, full of deep, earthy notes.

We indulged in reds at Montes, starting with the Limited Selection Pinot Noir, a wine with exceptional depth and aroma for only $16. We continued with the Alpha Special Cuvee Cabernet Sauvignon, a wine rich in tannins.

At Perez Cruz, we only sampled the Cabernet Sauvignon Piedra Seca, of which only 200 cases made it to LCBO, a wine with crisp acidity, that became our top wine of the day.

Moving on, we reached Santa Carolina, where we tied the Reserva Sauvignon Blanc, with nice floral notes, and the Reserva Chardonnay, a dry, crisp wine.

Getting to Santa Ema, the Ema Sparkling was crisp and quite floral for a dry bubbly. while the Tardio Late Harvest is an amazing desert wine, not too sweet.

At Santa Rita, we tasted the Pewen, an off-the-list wine, fermented in steel, that gave it a very clean finish, letting the grape shine.

                

We got to Sutil Wines, where we first tasted the Sutil Reserva, a Sauvignon Blanc with nice acidity that is a steal at only $17 while the Sutil Bella is a nice red blend perfect for sipping.

Terraustral Wines is an organization grouping several wineries and, at their stand, we tried the Santa Isle Sauvignon Blanc Grande Reserve and been impressed with the depth of this wine. We also sampled the off-the-list Vigno, a Carignan that pairs excellently with food.

Last, but not least, we reached the end of our tasting tour, at the VSPT Wine Group's stand where we were served by Andie Nicholson, the most welcoming sommelier in attendance. She took us through a number of wines, and we stuck to the recommended order. We started with the Tarapaca Gran Reserva, a Cab Sauvignon with notes of dark cherry, blueberry and clove. We also tried the 1865, another Cab Sauvignon with a deep taste and lots of tannins. We finished with the Tayu, a collab with indigenous wine makers using traditional methods.