Chilean Cool Coastal Wines

by Emanuel Solis

Spring is the perfect time to discover wonderfully refreshing wines from Chile. Each of the cool coastal regions of this incredibly diverse country offers crisp white wines, as well as some refreshing reds, to complement a seasonal meal or to enjoy on a warm night.

Start the spring off with a zesty Chilean Sauvignon Blanc from the cool coastal areas of Casablanca, San Antonio or Leyda valleys. The low temperatures and small changes from day to night allow for a slow maturation of fruit that creates incredibly clean, crisp, high quality wines.  A chilled Sauvignon Blanc makes a great summer aperitif, and also pairs nicely with shrimp, ceviche, salads and goat cheese or other mild cheeses.

For an alfresco dinner party, wow your guests with an elegant Pinot Noir from the cool climate regions of Casablana and Bio Bio.  Pinot Noir is one of the varietals that benefits the most from the discovery of these new cooler regions, as the resulting wines are sophisticated and light bodied with subtle fruit flavors. These Pinot Noirs are great with lightly seared fresh tuna, as well as mild and slightly sweet fish like monkfish.

For the warmer days of late spring try a smooth and refreshing Chardonnay from the Limarí region of Chile.  Chardonnay wines from cooler climates like Limarí tend to reflect their terroir—they have a mineral quality and a firm acid backbone. These up-and-coming cool climate wines are great on their own on a warm spring night, or accompanied by rich seafood like salmon. They go particularly well with oysters on the half shell and are also delicious with white meats and some spicy dishes.

Round out your season of discovery with a Chilean Syrah from the hillside sites of Colchagua or Cachapoal.  Although a relative newcomer to the Chilean vineyards, the Syrah grape in cooler climates produces high quality wines with dark fruit and black pepper notes—perfect for spring and summer barbeques, and they go well with just about any roasted or grilled meat.

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Emanuel sent two wine samples for me to try, a Sauvignon Blanc and a Pinot Noir. They were both very nice wines - here are the tasting notes.

2009 Leyda Classic Sauvignon Blanc, Chile: fresh lime, minerality, peach, grapefruit, cantaloupe, quite a bit of tartness on the palate, high acidity. The finish was pretty good, but the fruit seemed to fall flat.

2008 Cono Sur 20 Barrels Pinot Noir, Casablanca Valley: bright ruby red color, red fruits - raspberry, cherry, plum. Good finish, some smokiness on the palate. Nice silky texture.