Tag Archives: South America

Top 100 VALUE wines of 2012

Posted on by
Reply

It’s that time of year…Wine Spectator recently released their list of the Top 100 wines of 2012.

Due to personal preferences I can’t tell you whether you will really love all of the wines on the list or not. However, if it is under $20, (I also include exactly $20) and makes this list, it probably is a solid value.

Last years list only contained 12 wines under $20- this years has 27. Also, I am noticing a large number of wines coming from South America.

Hint: just because they might not have made this years list- the 2011 list are still good wines to try!

Here are the VALUES (ranking/Score/Price)…
Continue reading →

The “skinny” on Chile- Organic Wines, Excellent Value

Posted on by
1

South American wines often get lumped together on wine lists and in retail stores, and that is a shame. The two largest wine producing regions of Chile and Argentina have some things in common:

Location (latitude)- they share weather and temperature

Altitude-they are located on either side of the Andes mountains which is a key component in their unique terroir

Very little rain-both countries have very little rain fall but have ample water for wine production due to the melting snow and ice of the Andes.

Very low cost of labor– Virtually all grapes are picked by hand.

All of these factors are beneficial to wine growing. They allow them to produce clean wines (hardly any chemical usage), with very ripe fruit, high acid, and soft tannin.

BUT CHILE IS VERY DIFFERENT FROM ARGENTINA…

Continue reading →