Who ever said Turkey was just for Christmas? I tried this recipe out at the start of the week but I couldn’t get my hands on Turkey breast so I used chicken instead. It turned out really well, but there is definitely a distinctive difference in taste between the two, so I’d be eager to try out the old Christmas bird for something a little different - even if it is only the start of Spring.

You’ll probably agree this is quite a versatile dish in terms of wine matching. There are no really big flavours there that will stick out like a sore thumb, so my advice would be to pick a wine that doesn’t stand out like a sore thumb either. A delicate white or a light red.

The Ortonese Malvasia is an ideal partner to poultry and mild cheese. Pinot Noir would be my red choice. Domaine Chateau d’Eau Pinot Noir is a lovely food partner, but lets not forget the amazing quality coming out of New Zealand as well. The Waipara Springs Pinot Noir 2008 is in that more youthful, lighter style that I’m after for this dish, and will more than hold its own when it comes to that rich tomato sauce, as well as everything else.

Video courtesy of Look and Taste.

As the most deadly pest in the history of viticulture tore through most of the wine-making world causing widespread destruction to grape vines in the late 1800’s, how is it that the long nation of Chile has remained relatively unaffected to this day?

Continuing our focus on Chile for the month of March, we look at what makes Chile the world’s most suitable natural environment for growing wine grapes, how it benefited from its natural barriers and a benevolent Mediterranean climate, and why such a large proportion of Chilean wine reaching us today is bio-dynamic without the producer having to lift a finger.

In most parts of the world, the organic production of wine can be quite labour intensive and there’s a lot of thought that goes into making a vineyard bio-dynamic, and the final product organic for that matter. For some areas, it’s simply not viable to omit the use of industrial pesticides, such is the nature of the environment. So what makes Chile so different?

Climate

Chile’s climate is highly influenced by the cooling effect of the Pacific Ocean and the Humboldt Current that begins in the icy waters near Antarctica and flows up the western coast of South America. When the effect of the Humboldt’s cold current hits Chile’s northern coastline it produces clouds and fog, but little or no precipitation, which then contributes to making the Atacama Desert the driest on Earth.

Geography

The cool sea air is partially blocked by the Coastal Mountains, although it finds its way inland by following the course of the transversal river valleys. During the day, sea breezes carried by the cold Humboldt Current penetrate inland, and each night, cold air descends from the snow covered peaks of the Andes.

Chile’s geographic barriers - the Atacama Desert to the north, the Andes Mountains to the east, the Patagonian ice fields to the south, and the Pacific Ocean to the west - make it a veritable agricultural island. Together they help maintain healthy conditions and protect vineyards against pests and disease.

Soil & Terroir

With so much geographic variety, the Chilean landscape also offers a vast mosaic of terroirs and soil types. Soils are healthy, well-drained, and have a variety of origins (alluvial, colluvial, fluvial, etc.) and textures (loam, clay, sand, silt). Despite the relatively dry atmospheric conditions, abundant water for irrigation flows from the ice caps of the Andes Mountains that tower all along Chile’s eastern border.

Altitude

In recent years, more and more vineyards creep closer and higher to the peaks, where the sun is slow to appear over the eastern peaks and makes up for its late arrival with the intensity that comes with altitude. Currents of wind climb and descend over the course of the day to create a daily pendulum of temperatures that swings broadly between daytime highs and night time lows. This is just what rich red grapes, such as Cabernet Sauvignon, thrive on.

Not long, but wide

Curiously, it’s not the distance from the equator that plays the dominant role in the diversity of Chile’s grape growing exploits, but rather the proximity to the Pacific Ocean or the Andes Mountains. Chile has much greater diversity in soils and climates from east to west than from north to south.

Both Santa Alicia and Tabali farm very close to organic. Although not certified, Sierra Grande produces wine from organically grown grapes. 20% off all Chilean wines for the month of March (discounted at checkout).

Educational material courtesy of winesofchile.org

Video One: Ginestet Bordeaux Classique Sauternes 2005

For many, this is the home of great dessert wine. Botrytis (noble rot) has caused the grapes to shrivel and concentrate the natural sugars. The result is a rich sweet wine which can be enjoyed with dessert, instead of dessert or with cheese. It was awarded a Silver Medal at the 2008 International Wine & Spirits Competition.

For the following wines, click on the links provided for each to view videos.

Video Two: Sierra Grande Cabernet Sauvignon 2009

A food-friendly red sourced from organically grown grapes, the SG Cabernet is warm and rounded, with sweet dark fruit and an attractive herbaceous edge.

Video Three: Santa Alicia Cabernet Sauvignon 2008

The Santa Alicia medal collection has swollen once again following the fantastic 2008 vintage. This inexpensive Cabernet picked up a Silver Medal at the International Wine Challenge and Gold at Mundus Vini.

Video Four: Tabalí Reserva Carménère 2007

If you’re yet to experience Chile’s adopted grape, Carménère, then what are you waiting for? This blockbuster-style red is brimming with black fruits and soft, chocolatey tannins. A masterful wine.

Video Five: Sierra Grande Merlot 2008

For an entry-level Chilean, this wine has a lot going on. Black fruit intermingles with some meaty characteristics and spicy overtones. A good, everyday drinking wine sourced from organically grown grapes.

Langmeil is often muttered in the same sentence as Penfolds and Glaetzer Wines. Regarded not just as one of the best wineries in Barossa Valley, it is simply one of the best there is. I firmly believe this myself, but I’m also echoing the words of the people who should know. Firstly the consumer, secondly the wine critic.

Highly rated by Robert Parker, and again awarded the coveted 5+ star rating by Australia’s authority in wine, James Halliday, we’re just happy the Australians let us bring some of it to Ireland.

The land on which Langmeil Winery now stands was purchased by a 36 year old German blacksmith, Christian Auricht.  He and his family arrived in South Australia in 1838 after emigrating from eastern-central Europe (Silesia) to escape religious persecution.

The Freedom

In 1843 he planted a Shiraz vineyard which survives to this day. Believed to be one of the world’s oldest surviving Shiraz vines, remarkably, they are still producing low yields of super-concentrated fruit to this day, which is going into their flagship wine, The 1843 Freedom Shiraz.

Auricht’s grandson was the first to build a winery on the land in 1932, long before it became known as Langmeil. By 1996 the it had fallen into the hands of three local mates whose families have lived in the Barossa Valley for several generations: Richard Lindner, Carl Lindner and Chris Bitter. They restored the old buildings and beautified the gardens. After several months of tender loving care, The Freedom vineyard was successfully revived. Langmeil’s first vintage was harvested in 1997.

Orphan Bank

There is more than one Old Vine Garden. The Orphan Bank vineyard consists of vines exceeding 140 years. A first for the Barossa Valley, the Orphan Bank vineyard is the result of transplanting over 300 vines from a 140 year old vineyard in Tanunda which was destined to be destroyed. It took 18 months to re-plant the vines on the south bank of the North Para River at Langmeil Winery.  The operation was 95% successful and the first post-transplant fruit was picked in 2008.

The Fifth Wave

Another plot of land situated in the southern reaches of the Barossa Valley, just out of the town of Lyndoch, showcases a diversity of soil profiles and aspects. The Fifth Wave Grenache vineyard is located here, named so because this is now the 5th generation of Barossa winemakers. Planted in 1953 on deep sandy soil, the dry grown 4.5 acre vineyard produces a rare, low yielding crop making for very small parcels of premium Grenache.

Trust me when I say, it really doesn’t get much better than Langmeil. The best thing is, you don’t have to be a millionaire banker to drink Langmeil, starting at a very reasonable €11.99 per bottle for the month of March. Buy two save up to €10 on Langmeil.

If you haven’t heard of them yet, you really don’t know what you’re missing. Italian Winery of the Year three years running (IWSC, 2005-2007), Marco Scarinci helps explain how Farnese have managed to become one of the most consistent and highly rated producers in the Italian wine industry.

1. What is your favourite grape to work with and why?

Our favourite red grape to work with is Montepulciano for a number of reasons. It expresses the winemaking tradition of Abruzzo, and produces reds with great structure and tannins for long living. In the past this grape had huge production problems. More than 180 tons per hectare it was of low quality and mainly sold as bulk wine in Northern Italy to be blended with other grape varietals. Only in the last twenty years has quality really increased, with lower yields (no more than 10 tons per hectare), modern vinification techniques, new technology and more attention in the vineyard. The final result is a unique experience. It is easy to appreciate and drink.

With regards to a white grape, we love the indigenous grape varietal called Pecorino. It’s pretty new in the worldwide wine scene, but with a long tradition in Northern Italy. It has delicate and unforgettable aromas and flavours.

2. Considering the vast volumes of wine produced in Italy, what has made Farnese stand out from the crowd? What do you believe is your key to success?

Farnese was born in 1994 when about 85% of production was in the hands of cooperative wine growers’ associations and only very few of them bottled the wines they produced. They produced wines that were sold with no name to bottling companies from other regions. Throughout the years, the vine-growers experienced the value of their grapes decline more and more among vast quantities and average quality, so a greater appreciation of the regional wines was required.

This is the reason why we started our so called “Quality Project”, to which there was a prize for the vine-growers who chose to produce good quality grapes. Each vine-grower may ask the cooperative to which they belong to become a member of the “Farnese Quality Project”, our technicians will then inspect the vineyard and see whether the vineyard is capable of producing grapes of a high enough quality. Once the technicians have given their approval, an agreement is made with the producer according to which the vine-grower shall work under the careful supervision of our technicians that make sure they carry out their work as instructed. This includes a strict observation of the maximum quantities that each vineyard may produce and if this exceeds the limit at the beginning of August, then they will choose the amount of grapes that have to be removed from the vines in order to have the quantities required. All vine-growers taking part in our quality project do not get paid for the amount of grapes they produce but the quality of their stock as a result of lower yields per hectare.

Another aspect is related to the winemaking style, which is very far from the traditional approach to vinification. A more modern approach with the focus on indigenous grape varietals which produce easy drinking wines with expressive fruit and less of the heavy oak usage.

Essentially, we have been successful because we have a good team who are young, professional and very motivated. We have built up a good brand and we understand how the market is changing and how to act quickly.

3. What is your favourite everyday drinking wine, and what would be your desert island wine (if you could only ever have one more wine)?
With regards to the red absolutely Montepulciano d’Abruzzo because it is so strictly related to our history and traditions, while for the white Pecorino. My desert island wine would be Lagrein from Trentino Alto Adige.

4. If you could no longer grow grapes in Italy, where would you go to grow them?
We would like to go to Argentina or South Africa because there is great potential there.

5. What is your long-term outlook for the Italian wine industry?
The Italian wine industry has changed somewhat in the last few years, but the real chance and opportunity is in the worldwide market. We need to promote ourselves and invest more and more in the indigenous grape varieties which give a real expression of our territory.

Thanks to Marco Scarinci, Farnese.

Our range from Farnese.

Forget soup in a tin or out of a packet. Make it like a chef. This is the perfect starter to any meal and one of the most simple soups you could possibly make.

As no stock is used here, the soft, blue veined Cashel Blue cheese adds a rich, creamy texture with all the body and depth of flavour you’ll need. It’s the classic ingredient, which is also super by itself, paired with a nice glass of chilled white wine.

So long as you’re not too heavy handed with the cheese, a light red will match beautifully with this soup, particularly the main ingredient - broccoli. Try the Gamay grape from Beaujolais. It’s a lovely wine to start the night on in any case. There are six villages to choose from, my current favourite being Moillard’s Brouilly.

If you prefer white wine, I would reach for a Sauvignon Blanc. Ginestet’s Bordeaux Classique Blanc springs to mind as a really good, food-friendly, everyday drinking wine.

You didn’t just think it was the Old World who focused on the significance of region, did you? Those people who are in any way observant will notice that most wines will be labelled with specific regions or sub-regions.

Of the New World countries, it is probably Australia who is currently investing the most time and money into educating the consumer on the importance of regional identification. It’s important because wine from one region to the next can be vastly different, even if it is the same grape being used. You can catch up on Australia’s evolving story in our regional heroes series.

Chile is another New World country to realise the importance of regional identity. If anything, it has the most diverse terroir in the world. After all, we are talking about a country 2,700 miles from top to bottom, which, needless to say, allows it to have an incredibly varied climate, ranging from the world’s driest desert (the Atacama) in the north, to a Mediterranean climate in the centre, and a rainy temperate climate in the south. It is getting almost the whole mix of the southern hemisphere climate.

There are four key regions in Chile - Coquimbo, Aconcagua, Central Valley (Valle Central) and the most southerly region simply known as the Southern Regions or Southern Chile. Each has sub-regions and some have zones within those sub-regions. The bulk of Chilean wines are regional, hence wines labelled “Central Valley”, with no other distinction of origin, have grapes sourced from growers throughout several different parts of the region. They are brought together to be processed and bottled in one location, which may even be outside of Chile. A lot of the less expensive wines are made in facilities in Chile and then bottled in the Europe or the USA to save on transport costs.

The most productive region is Central Valley, with the sub-regions of Maipo, Curicó, Maule and Rapel. Rapel Valley consists of two zones called Cachapoal and Colchagua. Just across the Andes is Argentina’s Mendoza wine region. Maipo and Rapel are well known for their Cabernet Sauvignon, with Curicó getting a name for its Chardonnay.

The sub-region of Casablanca, within Aconcagua, is a cooler climate area, producing some fantastic Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, but perhaps the most fascinating sub-region for me is Limarí Valley, part of Coquimbo, which is the most northerly wine region. Next door to the driest place on Earth, it produces some real blockbusters, the best of which still have the minerality, elegance and poise of the worlds finest wines. To find out more about the promised land of Limarí, click here.

If you’re tempted to indulge, look up Santa Alicia’s Maipo Cabernet Sauvignon and Tabalí’s Especial powerhouse red blend from Limarí Valley. There’s 20% off all Chilean wines for the month of March (prices discounted at checkout).

Thanks to winesofchile.org. Picture of the Guanacos courtesy of Santa Alicia.

Video One: Santa Alicia Reserva Carménère 2008

You’d be right in thinking there’s a whiff of chocolate of this gold medal winning Carménère, but we can assure you the only ingredient is grape juice. If you’re a fan of Merlot, you should like Carménère, and this is one of the best available at normal retail price, never mind with 20% off for the month of March.

For the following wines, click on the links provided for each to view videos.

Video Two: Sierra Grande Sauvignon Blanc 2009

A refreshing organic Sauvignon Blanc from Chile, with those trademark tingling aromatics, crisp acidity and fresh fruit flavours. Easy drinking and a real crowd pleaser. 20% off for the month of March.

Video Three: Last Stand Shiraz 2007

The fruity Last Stand would be on the slightly lighter end of the scale, and perhaps an easier drinking style of South Australian red. One customer observed, “It’s like sitting in the arms of someone warm”.

Video Four: Long Neck Chardonnay 2009

A well-made, inexpensive Chardonnay from South Africa. The winemaker has allowed the grape itself to do most of the work, rather than indulging in the overuse of oak. Rich texture and bursting of tropical fruits.

Video Five: Ginestet Bordeaux Classique Margaux 2005

A superb food wine, the Ginestet Margaux is drinking well now, but put it down for a year or two to see it at its best. Wine from Bordeaux ‘05, and this region in particular, won’t be around for too much longer!

Clandestine parcels aside, this month’s all about Chile, so our April contest needed a related theme. Our first thought was a big pot of Mum’s chilli con carne but transport and keeping it warm was always going to be an issue (ok, really bad play on words in any case!).

Thankfully, with the unusually long and chilly winter we’ve been having (ok, we really have to stop now with the cheesy puns), our good friends in Santa Alicia sent us over a couple of Chilean ponchos to keep us warm in the Curious Wines warehouse. You could prise Matt’s from his cold dead hands but, preferring to keep him alive and warm, we’ve put the other one up for this month’s contest, along with a couple of bottles of our favourite Chileans’ finest.

(It’s not Mum’s chilli, but it’s a good second best.)

How to Enter: All you have to do to enter the contest is join (or already be a member of) our monthly newsletter. We’ll draw a winner at random in April when our next newsletter goes out. You are of course completely welcome to un-join the minute after the draw is done, but we like giving discounts, special deals and free stuff to our members, so we hope you’ll stick around!

Congratulations to Aoife Porter, winner of our March contest! Prizes on the way to you Aoife.

MONDAY 8TH MARCH TO SUNDAY 14TH MARCH ONLY

We’re clearing out the warehouse for new wines and new vintages so we’re giving you chance to scoop some genuine bargains in our Secret Parcel Sale.

We’ve put together a limited number of secret cases, 12 different bottles with normal retail prices in excess of €159, for only €105 – that’s €8.75 a bottle, a guaranteed third off original selling prices, and free delivery!

The secret case sale will run for 7 days only or while these limited stocks last.

WHY THE BIG SECRET?

We are fundamentally opposed to the disingenuous marking up of wines to provide false discounts – all our wines are priced competitively and fairly to reflect the quality and price paid to the wine-maker. By clearing stock in this way we can protect these wines, and their makers, from being de-valued for future vintages.

Still not sure? No matter what the price or how good the bargain, our 100% satisfaction guarantee still applies at all times. If you are not completely satisfied with a wine, for any reason, we’ll give you a full refund, without quibble.

Here’s Mike to explain more.