Underraga: if I could roll my R's this would be even more fun to say

Chile's Maipo Valley - so far so good. On my first day of wine touring I visited a classic, Cousiño Macul, one of the oldest wineries in Chile. It was cool to see their old cellars and the equipment they used to use for winemaking. Then I went to the gorgeous property of Underraga, walking through their gardens and vineyards before seeing their winery. Rodrigo told me all about their history and practices. He let me take a whiff of an aging barrel of Carmenere, which could've gotten him fired, he said. The most interesting vinification process that I learned about was their technique for removing the sediment in their red wines. Naturally solids are part of the winemaking process, and it's the winemaker's job to get them out somehow, through natural settling, filtering, etc. At Underraga they bring the temperature of the stainless steel tanks down so that the sediment freezes and remains on a rack inside the tank. The clean wine is then drawn out through hoses and into barrels. This type of tank seems very cool to me.

Here I got my first taste of Carmenere, but it was blended so at this point I cannot make any firm conclusions about this variety. But I did learn about the origin of this grape here. It's a funny story, and my disclaimer is that it may not be 100% accurate but you will get the idea. In the 1900s Chileans brought grape varieties over from France - Cab Sauv, Merlot, Syrah, etc. - to make quality wine. When phylloxera hit Europe, the US, and other places around the world in the mid-1900s, Chile wasn't affected. So they were the only wine market for a bit while the other areas had to rebuild. People were starting to notice Chile. They said, Hey this Merlot from Chile is really different and good. Well, it was Carmenere, mixed with Merlot. The vines had been mixed up and planted together. So they had unknowingly been making Merlot-Carmenere blends. A top ampelographer confirmed this, and they began planting Carmenere and vinifying it on its own. Now Chile is known for the grape variety. After phylloxera hit France they couldn't grow it again, so Carmenere is to Chile what Tannat is to Uruguay - the signature grape.

To me, Carmenere has similar characteristics to Cabernet Franc - red fruit, bell pepper, black pepper spice. It is medium bodied with soft tannins. I still have much to explore in the way of Carmenere, but my initial impressions are good.

The mountains are everywhere, the Andes to the east and the coastal ranges to the west. These mountains help create mesoclimates perfect for growing grapes. There is a lot of sun and the nights are breezy and cool. Can´t complain!