As numerous Chilean wineries were affected by the recent earthquake,
consumers in Canada and other importing countries should expect
delays in wine deliveries. Some wineries report loss of thousands
of barrels while others suffered destruction of their vineyards
or other infrastructure.
The
main producers, like Concha y Toro, will stop production for
at least a week, while they assess and fix the damages.
Concha
y Toro winery confirmed that many of its wineries were seriously
damaged in the area most devastated by the earthquake, several
kilometers south of Santiago.
All
major wine regions of Chile were affected, including the valleys
of the Maule, Colchagua, Curico, Maipo and Bio Bio.
Concha
y Toro is the largest exporter of wine and also operates in
Argentina. It had sales of $ S590 million in 2008 and exported
26.6 million cases of wine to consumers in 131 countries.
Other smaller producers are also expected to see their normal
operations affected.
Stephen Tanzer: Argentina’s Best
As
the race to produce wines for the export market continues
in Argentina, many products did not deliver high quality,
according to Stephen Tanzer, who did not hesitate to qualify
many Malbecs as “mediocre”. His 2009 reports,
however, also show that there are excellent wines to be had
from the land of Evita and Maradona. The best rated wines
were achieved by Bodega Catena Zapata, Achával Ferrer,
Viña Alicia, Poesía, Susana Balbo, Mendel and
Noemia.
In
his last tasting, Tanzer said he had found mediocre but also
excellent wines: "I tasted more bottles of mediocre Argentinean
wine than ever before, with too many Malbecs showing medicinal,
slightly green flavors; a lack of mid-palate flesh and sweetness
of fruit; evidence of over-extraction; and drying, rustic
tannins. At the top end, however, the wines show increasing
complexity and nobility, with real perfume, wonderfully seamless
and rich mouth feel, clarity of flavor, and suave, thoroughly
ripe tannins."
Watch
for Mediocre Malbec
Considering
this Malbec popularity, Tanzer points out that "not surprisingly,
Argentinean producers in search of something easy to sell
in a difficult world economy are flooding the market with
new Malbec, and dozens of opportunistic US importers seem
only too willing to buy virtually anything that says Malbec
on the label. The result, needless to say, has been a distinctly
mixed bag of current releases."
Wines
to Look For
Despite
Tanzer’s warnings, he was also generous when it came
to good Argentinean wines, which he scored highly. Many of
those products come from smaller, boutique wineries, so may
be hard to find in the BC market. It should be kept in mind,
however, that some of these wines can be ordered through the
LDB, albeit, at a price. Among the wines that achieved high
scores available in BC are the following:
-Catena
Zapata, Catena Alta Chardonnay, 2007 94pts
-Achaval Ferrer Finca Mirador 92pts
-Mendel Unus Blend 2007, 91pts
-Luca Chardonnay 2009, 91pts
-Bodega Ruca Malen Kinien 2007, 90pts
-Mendel Malbec 2007, 90pts
-Tikal Amorio 2008, 90pts
-Benmarco Expresivo 2007, 90pts
-Bodega Catena Zapata Chardonnay 2008, 90pts
-Luca Malbec 2008, 90pts
-Luca Laborde Syrah 2008, 90pts
-Mapema Malbec 2008, 89pts
-Clos de los Siete 2008, 89pts
-Altos Las Hormigas Reserva Malbec 2007, 89pts
Among
the value products:
-Altos Las Hormigas Malbec 2009, 88pts
-Bodega Norton Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva 2007, 88pts
-Michel Torino Torrontes Don David Reserva 2008, 88pts
-Colonia Las Liebres Boyarda 2008, 88pts
-Terrazas de Los Andes Malbec 2008, 87pts
Test
wine food combinations with selections of cheese and hot/cold
hors d'oeuvres. This fun event will be held at the beautiful Van
Dusen Gardens, SHAUGHNESSY RESTAURANT. 
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