Red Hot Chilean Wine!

Last month, Wine Blogging Wednesday focused on value red wines from Chile ofr under $20.  You can read all about my picks over here.  Given the current economic climate, we are all looking for value wines, and I thought it would be a fun project to explore more affordable libations from the New World.

As a result, I received some samples of Chilean wines, and last night I opened the Maquis Lien red blend.  The Maquis retails for about $12-15 and is widely available in several markets, including mine here in the Bay Area.

The Maquis Lien comes from the Colchagua Valley region of Chile, which is about 93 miles south of Santiago, in the Andes growing region about midway down the country.  This area is a warm and dry appellation, that produces some lovely wines.  Since they are on an opposite growing season, being in the southern hemisphere, we can get an early glimpse of how the year will be.

This blend is a full bodied number, with 38% syrah, 32% carignane, 15% cabernet franc, 8% petite verdot, and 7% malbec.  Basically, it’s your classic mutt!  I found found the juicy dark fruit to be very seductive, with the spicy dark berries.  I tasted bold blackberry, bing cherry, and a hint of smoke emanating from the carminere.  The dusting of cocoa powder and spice was a nice finish, and it paired nicely with my turkey burger for dinner.

With the low price point, I would reccomend this as a nice weekday sipper to keep your taste buds singing in these tough economic times.  I look forward to trying more wines from the region soon!