|  It is not necessary for a wine to be expensive to taste deliciously. This varietal from the biggest winery of Chile is an example. A low end daily drinking wine (the company also produces the cheaper Frontera and Sunrise labels), it offers a great value for money.
The wine is a dark red, almost inky colour dry wine with peppery aromas that have to be swirled out of the glass, otherwise you might miss them. Nose of dark berries and black peppers carries on into the flavour which is smoky and spicy with dark berries and bitter chocolate lurking in the background. The mouthfeel is very good and the wine leaves a decent impression on the palate, including the mid-palate.
The acidity is slightly low which makes it plump but not fat. Tannins are soft and juicy. The interesting part of the wine is that it makes you long for another glass- a sure way of liking a wine.
One can have it with kebabs, or even chicken with thick gravy. Even vegetarians would love it because of the soft tannins. Best to avoid with very greasy food, though. I loved it with shami kebabs and even salad with chicken tikkas.
Its cousins, Cabernet Sauvignon ( rated by Decanter as the best value for money wine on the Planet, a couple of years after I had declared the best value-for-money wine in Delhi; I have yet to taste many more wines to make such a statement!) and Merlot are also very easy drinking wines, not much complex, but never mind, considering the retail price of Rs.1050 in Delhi.
With duties going down, it should cost less than Rs.900 and should be available soon, as promised by the importer, Global Tax Free Sales. Chandigarh viewers should look forward to a price tag of Rs.750-800 perhaps.
It is drinking beautifully now. But if you have a proper wine cellar, you can store it for 2-3 years.
Incidentally, to give you a better perspective, it retails for under £6 at Tesco. But right now, it is available under the usual Tesco policy of buy 2 get 1 free offer, at £4, when you buy a case of 6.
Subhash Arora |
