Chile Syrah & travel

(by Peter Richards MW)

Chile is a really exciting place for wine right now. And Syrah is, in my view, its most exciting grape variety at the moment (along with Pinot Noir).

I recently tasted nearly 90 Chilean Syrahs along with Patricio Tapia and Dirceu Vianna Junior for Decanter magazine’s monthly tasting panel. It was a mixed bag, with the cooler-climate styles (think: black pepper, juicy fruit) performing better than the richer versions (often overdone when they should just be plump and gorgeous). But there are still plenty of fabulous wines to recommend, often at great prices. Congratulations to Casa Marin, Casas del Bosque and Ventisquero particularly on their outstanding results.

You can read the piece by clicking on this link to see the pdf: Chilean Syrah tasted & rated, Decanter October 2014

In the same magazine I also wrote a travel piece focusing on Casablanca and Valparaiso, the wine region and city you encounter as you head to the coast from the capital Santiago. They’re well worth a visit: Casablanca with its revitalised cool-climate wine scene and Valpo with its unique brand of tumbledown, chaotic glamour that earned its place in the UNESCO World Heritage pantheon.

You can read this piece by clicking on this link to see the pdf: Travel Chile by Peter Richards MW, Decanter October 2014

Thanks to Decanter magazine/Time Inc.