The Fine Wine Collection

We have an amazing portfolio, and yet, The Fine Wine Collection isn’t currently that well known, we need to shout about our wines which are all elegantly crafted and meticulously hand-made.

Chile has always been recognized as a country producing good value wines for the quality they deliver, but in terms of fine wine there is not much awareness within the wine industry. It is assumed that fine wine from Chile needs to come from boutique wineries.  But, what is not considered in this judgement is that this means a lack of consistency vintage on vintage. 

To get fine wine from the New World with a constant quality is the challenge.  Lots of wineries play the game of telling Sommeliers key words like; I am biodynamic, I only have a small production, small allocations, the wines are not sold anywhere, it is a family owned business, but at the end of the day, what most experienced sommeliers want is the same quality and stability for prices each and every year.  So imagine, if the harvest suddenly isn’t that great, that if you use the grapes from your boutique winery in your new vintage, the quality would suffer... The biggest question is; can a boutique winery sacrifice half of their production if they needed to?  Obviously not, the costs involved are huge.  So why don’t we look more to producers who have their own vineyards, who have their own dedicated oenologists and agronomists, and that have a range of wines, so that if production one year is halted of a particular wine allocations can truly be put in place to safeguard the integrity of that wine?

So... I went to Scotland to see what the Sommeliers are thinking in terms of New World fine wines. Scotland has a very knowledgeable group of Sommeliers and I really wanted to get their thoughts on these wines.

Where we went... 

We went at Champany Inn, a very comfortable Boutique Hotel with the added benefit of having both a restaurant and a wine shop. Champany Inn is located just 20 minutes from Edinburgh. The Restaurant has a saltwater pool next to the bar with live Oysters and Lobster from the Western Isles. However their steaks are the highlight of the restaurant.

Who we were... 

John Power from Prestonefield House, Michael Anthony and Alfonso Zapater from Champany Inn. John Power, a very experience sommelier with a unique understanding of the Scottish Fine Wine business.

What we ate...

Starter - Hot smoked salmon served with a sherry hollandaise

Main Course - Charcoal grilled sirloin steak, thick cut from the end of the striploin, served with French fries and salad

Cheese – Stilton, mull cheddar & brie - With homemade oatcakes, celery, grapes & apple chutney

What we tasted...

Aperitifs of Cono Sur Visión Riesling and Concha y Toro Terrunyo Sauvignon Blanc 2009

With our starters we had Maycas del Limarí Reserva Especial Chardonnay 2008

For the main course we had three wines; Concha y Toro Don Melchor 2008, Trivento Eolo Malbec 2006 and Bonterra The Butler (Biodynamic) 2007

Finally with our cheeses we had Almaviva 2008 and Concha y Toro Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc 2008.

Food & Wine pairing...

We had as an aperitif Riesling Maiden Flight, Cono Sur 2011 and Sauvignon Blanc Terrunyo, Casablanca Valley, Concha y Toro 2009. The Riesling had a very intense and elegant style of flavours, combining white stone fruits with an elegant apple aftertaste. The Sauvignon Blanc was light with a crystallised acidity refreshing all of the palate, the wine has a touch of a lavender aroma which is very difficult to get in the Casablanca Valley, 2009 vintage still alive, vibrant, and well settled.

With the starter we had a wine from the Limarí Valley, with lots of mineral character – Chardonnay Reserva Especial, Maycas del Limarí 2008.  The wine really integrates well with the hot smoked salmon served with a sherry hollandaise.  The sherry hollandaise brought to the salmon a touch of oxidative character, balancing very well the saltiness of the wine. The Limarí Valley as we all know by now, has lots of calcium carbonate particles in the soil making the wines slightly salty on the finish.

We had a selection of three fine wines to accompany our main courses, Eolo 2006 (Argentina), The Butler 2007 (USA –Mendocino Valley) and Don Melchor 2008 (Puente Alto, Chile).  It is very difficult to decide on the perfect match here as the quality of the three wines and the charcoal grilled sirloin steak, served with French fries and salad it was a real challenge.

The Butler has 81% Syrah and the spiciness of this grape went really well with the steak. Eolo 2006, being Malbec, had more richness therefore it lifted better the flavours of the Sirloin.  But, the winning match, had to be, Don Melchor 2008, at 97% Cabernet Sauvignon and with 3% Cabernet Franc it enhanced really well the texture of the meat. Don Melchor has lots of complexity and really rounded tannins perfect to have with meats cooked on charcoal as they retain a smoky character that works really well with this wine.

We finished with a selection of cheeses (Stilton, mull cheddar & brie) with this selection of chesses we had Almaviva 2008 and Sauvignon Blanc Late Harvest 2008 from Concha y Toro. It was a great idea to show a sweet wine and an iconic wine like Almaviva with the cheese selection. The Late Harvest which has a small proportion of Riesling and Gewürztraminer was the best option for the Stilton and quite surprisingly with the brie. But the highlight of the cheese board was the Almaviva 2008 with the Mull Cheddar, the elegance and structure of the wine really complement this cheese, a match made in heaven.

Best wine...

Don Melchor 2008

Best food match...

Don Melchor with the Charcoal grilled sirloin, thick cut from the end of the Striploin, served with French fries and salad.

Conclusions...

After the Lunch we all could see the potential of New World wines in terms of making fine wines.

It was a really good opportunity to taste all this wines at the same time complementing some of the best traditional dishes we can find in Scotland.