Carmenère: Smoky Sorceress of Wine Grapes

Words by Helena Nicklin

Carmenère is a red grape that has really upped its game in the last few years. Fans of Cabernet Sauvignon will appreciate its similar, brooding, blackcurrant leaf flavour profile but Carmenère tends to be juicier and less tannic than Cabernet Sauvignon with a characteristic cocoa and bell pepper notes on the finish. Dark purple, velvety and smoky, throwing herbs into the cauldron, Carmenère has always been the smoky sorceress of wine grapes to me.

Much like Malbec in Argentina, Carmenère came over to South America from Bordeaux when French immigrants settled there in the 1800s. For years it was believed to be Merlot but it eventually was discovered for what it was and has only been an officially recognised varietal in Chile, its new spiritual home, since 1998. It never thrived in its original home of Bordeaux where it struggled to get ripe and after the phylloxera vine infestation of 1870s, most of the vines there were ripped out. Chile had the right combination of weather and soils however to let the grape show its potential. For years it made relatively inexpensive, juicy, dark red wines in Chile that were easy to drink but not all that complex. Nowadays, Chilean Carmenère is getting the full terroir treatment, with higher quality wines from specific microclimates really showing what this grape can do. According to winemaker Marcelo Garcia at TerraNoble winery in Chile, a Carmenère plant takes around 12-15 years to truly shine, when it starts to make wines that have more structure and fewer vegetal notes.

Fact: The name Carmenère comes from the French word for crimson, which is ‘carmin’, thanks to its bright red leaves at Autumn time.

Fact: Carmenère is also often spelled with two accents: Carménère. Chile tends to only use one. 

Carmenère Food Match

The smoky, leafiness of this grape makes it a great match for earthy meats like roast lamb and grilled vegetables. It loves anything that’s been on a barbecue! 

Chilean Carmenère Tasting Tour

Co-op Irresistible Carmenère

From the warm, inland appellation of the Maipo Valley, this cheap and cheerful wine is a classic example, packed with notes of ripe blackcurrant, vanilla spice and green pepper. Smooth velvety. It packs quite a punch. 

Find it here at Co-Op for £7

Arboleda Carmenère 2016

A rich, bramble-fruit and chocolatey number hailing from the inland Aconcagua region that is a step up in structure and complexity. Silky smooth, but big enough to handle lots of meat. You might always want to try this with some dark chocolate! There are not many wines you can say that about!

Find it at Corneyandbarrow.com for £16.95

Costa Vs Andes

TerraNoble is a winery becoming known for championing Carmenère and creating high-end wines with it. They have an exciting project where they are comparing Carmenère from Los lingues the bottom of the Andes with some from Lolol, by the coast. What they have found is that the Andes (CA1 Andes) wine is riper, fuller-bodied and richer with more classic typicity than the cooler, coastal wine (CA2 Costa), which shows crunchy red fruit notes, fewer green flavours and generally, a finer structure and more precision. Try them side by side to see what this grape can truly do.

Find CA1 Carmenère Andes 2014 at vintageroots.co.uk for £27.30 (2017 on its way)
Find CA2 Carmenère Costa 2017 at vintageroots.co.uk for £27.30

Love wine? Then make sure to check out our 5 Reasons to try Garnacha and From Budget to Blowout: 7 Outstanding Champagnes.

One Minute Wine Ace: Cabernet Sauvignon

You can generally presume that all professional, male rugby players have certain elements in common: they are full in body, fairly heavy and well structured. There are forwards who pack a slightly bigger punch and backs who are a tad more refined and lean, but generally speaking, you can always tell a rugby player a mile off, no matter where in the team they play. It’s the obvious build and all those purpley-black bruises that do it! And with all their years of training and experience, you can take a bet that their playing quality is going to be pretty reliable, no matter which country it is that they play for. They also tend to need a few years to chill out and mellow…

Yes, Cabernet Sauvignon is the professional rugby player of the wine world. This heavy-duty grape variety has the thickest skin of all the grapes, giving it lots of tooth-drying tannin and plenty of brawn! ‘Cabernet’, as it’s often known, is a hardy, well-structured grape that makes pretty reliable wine just about anywhere. This is why you can find it all over the world now. When at its very best, it can sometimes take a few years to mature, so bear that in mind when you’re picking one out. Look for a concentrated, dark blue-black and purple colour with distinctive, spicy blackcurrant and cedar flavours. In some cases, you’ll also spot a telltale minty or eucalyptus note, which is often a hint that it’s from a warmer climate.

CABERNET SAUVIGNON TASTING TOUR

Cabernet Sauvignon makes pretty reliable wines from many places globally, but here are four key styles to start your journey with,

Cabernet 1: Be prepared to spend some cash and head to Bordeaux, France: the Old World home of Cabernet, where it’s usually blended with Merlot among other grapes. Look for one from the Left Bank of the river Gironde for a classic earthy, cedary number that’s Cabernet dominant. Heard of Chateau Margaux? That’s a Cabernet-dominant, Left Bank Bordeaux wine.

Try: Château de Lamarque, Haut-Medoc, 2015 for £22.95 from Corneyandbarrow.com.

Cabernet 2: Compare your Bordeaux with a Cabernet Sauvignon from Coonawarra in Australia for a fuller-bodied, juicier version with tonnes of ripe blackcurrant and a characteristic mint and eucalyptus twang. Coonawarra is one of Cabernet’s classic, New World homes. 

Try: Wakefield Jaraman Cabernet Sauvignon for £17.99 or £15.99 mix six price from Majestic.

Cabernet 3: At a similar price and standard to Bordeaux, you could also try some serious Cabernets from Napa Valley, California for a style that is somewhere between the two above: big wines made in a Bordeaux style, but with a pleasing extra dollop of fruit.

Try: Illustrious Cabernet Sauvignon 2018, £36 a bottle or £32.40 mix 6 price from Laithwaites.

Cabernet 4: For something a little more entry-level price wise, check out what they can do with Cabernet over in the warm Colchagua Valley in Chile. Here, Cabernets are about full-on, sweeter, blackcurrant-scented wines with a savory, smoky kick. You can get some great ones for £6 or so but there are also some super-serious wines coming out of Chile too. 

Try: Montes Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Chile, £9 from Coop.

Like this? Try our other One Minute Wine Ace articles on Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Cotes du Rhone and Sauvignon Blanc.