Imbibing in Chile!!

Valle de Casablanca- land of chardonnay and sauv blanc!

Just back from a short, visa-related jaunt to Chile! Though I was only able to spend three days in the land of pisco and seafood, I lived it up as much as I could.  Which to me means tasting everything in sight. 

After a stunning bus ride across the Andes mountains, we arrived in sunny Santiago mid-afternoon. My first mission: hunt down the best pisco sour in town.  I had heard much about the "pisco war" between Chile and Peru from my traveling companions on the way down- how the liquor had originated in Peru but now the Chileans claim it as their own. The feud continues as each country believes they produce the best pisco and thus pisco sours. 

For those who don't know, the cocktail is made up of five ingredients: pisco brandy, lime juice, sugar, egg white and (not always found but a key ingredient) angostura bitters. The drink should be well balanced between tart and sweet and have a nice creamy mouthfeel from the shaken egg whites. It's generally served in a champagne flute with a lemon or lime slice. When made correctly, it is heavenly.

Though way too much fun, the pisco sour hunt in Santiago did not uncover any amazing gems. I tasted many versions that were either too sweet, or lacking egg white, or made with bad pisco. The search continued.

Mission #2: Stuff yourself with delicious seafood. Easy to accomplish! Santiago is home to an amazing Mercado Central where you can purchase and consume all manner of fresh shellfish and seafood.

Mission #3: Sauvignon Blanc. Chile produces some of the freshest, most limey Sauv Blancs in the world. I intended to experience this first hand.

Luckily, Missions 2 and 3 could be completed in one fell swoop. One order of Jardin de Mariscos (garden of shellfish) and one bottle of De Martino 2008 Legado Sauvignon Blanc from the Maipo Valley proved to be a dreamy combination.  Fresh, oceany bliss. The wine offered a melange of lovely citrus characteristics plus white stony minerality and plenty of lively acid. De Martino cleansed the palate after each bite of buttery soft scallop. 

Before leaving Santiago, it was necessary to take a quick trip up to the top of Cerro San Cristobal, a huge hill that offers expansive views of the city. Of course I wanted to snap a few photos of Santiago, but mostly I had to make the trip because word on the street is that the best "mote con huesillo" is served at the top of the hill.

I admit I was skeptical at first. Chile's "refreshing national drink" consists of a sweet nectar made from dried peaches that have been cooked in sugar, water, and cinnamon that is then cooled and poured over fresh cooked wheat. You sip the "tea", nibble on the peaches and finish with spoonfuls of wheat. Strange indeed, but surprisingly refreshing (it's served ice cold) and delicious, reminding me a bit of peach cobbler and a bit of breakfast cereal.. but in a good way.

Then it was off to Valparaiso to check in with the Pacific Ocean (luckily I left just before all of the tsunami madness) and get a good art fix (the city is covered in colorful murals). Over dinner at La Vide en Verde I learned my traveling companion had never tasted Carmenere, Chile's emblematic red varietal. That made the wine choice easy. Going for a producer I'd never heard of before, I ordered the 2009 Las Ninas Carmenere from the Colchagua Valley.

Aesthetically, the label was a complete disaster and led me to wonder if I had accidentally ordered a strawberry-based fruit wine or some kind of crazy aromatized wine as it tragically proclaimed "strawberry aroma" on both the front and the back.  Bad first impression. The wine itself was young and juicy and yes, smelled of strawberries but also a bit of black cherry and pepper as well.  While not terribly complex and lacking in the concentration that I normally expect of this varietal, Las Ninas was a perfectly fine glugger and actually played fairly well with our mussel chowder.

Once the bottle was depleted, we had no problem switching to cocktails and beer. Shockingly, I ordered the Pisco Sour. Which turned out to be fantastic. Beautifully bright and citrusy with a soft, creamy mouthfeel and sweet finish.  Kross Pilsner was surprisingly complex and balanced, possibly one of the best South American beers I've tasted. And it's made in Valparaiso! Go local beer! I have to say it made me nostalgic for Northwest microbrews.

What better to follow up a delicious seafood dinner? More Pisco Sours!! Stopping into a hip little art bar on Almirante Montt, I was delighted to see full bottles of the cocktail being delivered to tables. I was even more delighted to find the menu full of different versions of the drink, the most tantalizing being the "Porno Sour" made with aji, a spicy Chilean pepper and fresh ginger. One of the most interesting cocktails I've had in a long time.  The spice from the pepper and ginger was offset by the sugar and creamy egg white. Fun and compelling. A party in the mouth. And concocted by a badass girl bartender. We sipped and stared at art and watched a magician levitate playing cards. Props to this hole in the wall.

The final day in Valparaiso was filled with more art and city-roaming. A visit to Pablo Neruda's house (one of three- one for each wife) worked up an appetite for Sea Bass.  Sitting on the deck at Bote Salvavidas watching boats come into the harbor, I am pleased to report I had a life-changing empanada/wine experience. A bottle of 2009 Misiones de Rengo Reserva Chardonnay from the Rapel Valley was a match made in culinary heaven with shellfish empanadas.

With fresh aromas of granny smith apple, pineapple and lime with a touch of vanilla, this chardonnay was bright with sparkling acidity and plenty of salty, wet stone minerality. Subtle notes of raw asparagus added to the complexity. And next to the warm, crispy, savory empanadas, this chardonnay was a refreshing citrusy palate cleanser after every bite.  I still cannot stop thinking about this stroke of pairing luck.

To finish up the day and prepare for the long bus ride back over the Andes, it seemed necessary to open up a bottle of Carmenere to say farewell to Chile.  The 2008 Dona Dominga Reserva Carmenere from the Valle de Colchagua was inky black-purple with concentrated balckberry fruit and green pepper on the nose (a Chilean signature).  Balanced and fresh with bramble-berries and cinnamon and nutmeg spice on the palate, the wine was luscious and round, a friendly sipper for a chill afternoon.

After only three days in Chile, I returned to Argentina full and sated. I had achieved my goals of consuming delicious food and beverage and I had discovered new and fantastic things. Overall, I give Chile credit for having what I found to be more experimental cuisine- dishes with a wider range of spices and flavor profiles. This includes as well a wider variety of liquors and beers that are available. I was shocked to see a long list of Belgian beers on the menu at one of the restaurants in Santiago. (The best you do in Mendoza is still the very average Stella Artois.) 

For wines, the whites were lovely, and the reds were agreeable, but I still prefer Argentine Malbec to Chilean Carmener, perhaps because I've yet to taste the best of Chile. Or maybe because Chile spends more effort crafting Merlot and Cabernet.  Indeed, you do not find a lot of Carmenere on wine lists in Chile. It seems that while it may be the country's emblematic red varietal, it is not the varietal that they are most proud of. I'm interested to find out more about why this is.  And I'm already planning a trip back to Chile to get all my questions answered.  

For now, I'm content with my quick jaunt across the border.  Now it's back to Mendoza and back to work for a couple months.  Wine and tourism stop for nothing. Vacation over!