Chile's new beginning
Genesis wines dazzle tasters at the Plaza Athenee restaurant Reflexions
One of the regular venues for wine tasting in Bangkok is the Plaza Athenee Bangkok, and its recent tasting plus a three-course dinner created by Chef Daniel Bucher took place at the Reflexions restaurant. The wines up for tasting were from Genesis Wines by the De Aguirre Family, producers of fine wines in Chile’s Maule Valley.
I turned up for the tasting, but didn’t join the dinner due to another commitment.
First some background. As in many Latin American countries, vines came to Chile with the Spanish invaders in the 16th century. But it was the invasion of the French culture, which created the real foundation for a quality wine industry in the 19th century.
With the export market for Chilean wines growing rapidly, Chile now ranks 11th in the world for wine production. Much of this is everyday wine, but quality is going up. Carbernet Sauvignon is by far the most widely planted variety in Chile, having doubled its hectarage in the past 10 years. Merlot plantings have also increased dramatically.
The featured wines for tasting came from the Maule Valley, the most southerly part of the Central Valley and home to viticulture for 200 years with flat plains and low hills. A quarter of the vineyards in the area grow the native, rustic red grape Pais for local consumption. The rest is planted with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Sauvignon Blanc.
Six vintages were tasted that night, but I had time for a few glasses of Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon (Reserva) and Merlot before dashing out.
The Sauvignon Blanc has aromas of lime and grapefruit and floral notes, great for seafood and green salad, I was told by the winemaker of G Four Fine Wines, which distributes Genesis’ wines in Thailand. With its ruby colour, the Cabernet is a powerful and concentrated wine with ripe and elegant tannins. The Merlot has intense notes of ripe red fruits and pepper hints. Its tannins are sweet and velvety.
For information on Chilean wines from Genesis Wines, check out www.GFour.co.th. Find out more about upcoming tastings at the Plaza Athenee at (02) 650 8800 or [email protected].
