09.30.05

Luis Felipe Edwards Carmenere

Posted in Wine Reviews at 11:42 pm

So I have to admit that this is not a grape that I know and tonight I experienced it for the first time. Below is info about this wine. This wine, a 2003 I also bought from Trader Joe’s and at $6.99 a bottle its a must buy. The flavor is fairly earthy, a hint of tobacco with lots of ripe fruit without strong tannins. Black pepper taste gives this wine a nice balance with the fruit and it can stand up to many different types of food and not get lost or overpower them. Tonight with poached salmon in white wine it worked though I am not against the pairing of red wine and fish. Salmon has a fairly powerful taste and this wine complemented it very well. For me a case of this in my cellar is without a question.

Carmenere, a grape variety lost in the shadows of its Bordeaux cousins for more than a century, is finally re-conquering the hearts of those who prize fine wine
and sumptuous dining.
Yet no variety says “Chile” like Carmenere. Its re-emergence is the
story of a happy accident.
Carmenere was little more than an archival curiosity until the early
1990s, when winemakers discovered that many of the Chilean vines they had
called Merlot were actually Carmenere
The grape once played a large part in Bordeaux winemaking, but its low
yields forced it out of favor when French viticulturists replanted after
the phylloxera outbreak of the 1880s. Meanwhile, Carmenere from France had
quietly migrated to Chile, along with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.
By the 1990s, Chileans were profiting from the worldwide fascination
with Merlot. However, some winemakers noticed traits that set some of their
Merlot apart. Analysis soon showed that Carmenere had been planted
willy-nilly among the Merlot, and that much of Chilean Merlot was in
reality Carmenere.
Rather than panic, Chilean winemakers deftly turned scandal into
opportunity. They recognized what Carmenere lovers have come to appreciate:
the low tannins and big, bright blackberry fruit of Carmenere make it a
delight to drink and an ideal match for a range of foods.
Since Chile began actively marketing Carmenere in the mid-1990s, it has
come to symbolize the nation much like Shiraz calls to mind Australia,
Malbec Argentina and Zinfandel California.
“The mix-up was understandable,” said Randy Ullom, Winemaster for
Kendall-Jackson and supervisor of winemaking for Calina. “Carmenere and
Merlot are similar. But the trained eye can notice Carmenere sports pinkish
leaves that set it apart.”

Ken’s comments

Posted in Travel at 10:24 am

I couldn’t resist posting these comments from Ken, my friend from Guyana. I first encountered Ken in the Bahamas about 30 years when he came to perform. I didn’t remember him specifically but I did remember his work and used some of it off and on throughout the years. His performance had a strong impact on me.
Maybe 12 years later I met Ken again and got to know him and not until I was visiting him on Long Island while I was there for work did I realize that he was the same Ken whose work had influnced me for so many years and informend my storytelling. When I got this email from him it made me smile and want to share him with you because he is and has been an important person in Caribbean storytelling and poetry. Visit his website at: http://kencorsbie.com

Derek
You gone into space.
third dimension
Your site and blog and you have transcended mere mortals
probably one of the outstanding multi-interest sites..
a world traveller
guitar maestro
spanish speaking
wine connoisseur
“techno geek”
master storyteller

I’ll have to signature my emails to you with “your humble one”

Congrats and wonderful lifestyle and sharing..
I’ll have to pass on your website and blog to my mortal human storytelling friends and associates.. and let them eat their hearts out with their storytelling a la mode..

all best man
Ken

Luis Felipe Edwards from Chile

Posted in Wine Reviews at 12:45 am

edwards wine

Tonight we had the Cabernet Sauvignon of Felipe Edwards. At $6.99 from Trader Joe’s its a great bargin. Last year it was $10.99 and though a different year the price is better. Its a 2003 and for years I’ve had a few cases of the 1994 which was a very different wine. The 94 vintage was very Bordeaux like, a very un-Chile like, dry and ripe at the same time with maturity that was very different than anything I’ve had from Chile. The 2002 was a fuller wine with more of the California type body.

This vintage is much different. At first when I opened it the nose had a very mineral scent to it and I thought I might not like it. When I first tasted it it had a crisp clear taste and still a bit of mineral but as it opened the flavor of ripe cherries came through and the wine continued to be full and made me want to keep drinking. Its not a laying down for a long time wine though it will stay for awhile yet but I would say drink it now with some hearty as it will stand up well to meat or something with good body and flavor.