On Friday, February 27th, we visited the Errazuriz Vineyard. It was a VERY nice time. The vineyard is very beautiful and the weather was perfect. Here are a few pictures I took of the vineyard:
More are available on our SmugMug site. What I found most interesting is the difference between "wine" grapes and "table" grapes. Grapes used for wine are supposed to be small, about the size of large blueberries. This means that the flavor is packed into a smaller size, not that they have less flavor. What makes table grapes large is water, which dilutes wine. The official reason for our visit was a presentation by one of the winemakers and tasting. Here are some pictures of the setup they had for us:
I liked the 2008 Sauvignon Blanc the best. I normally don't like whites, but this one was different. The winemaker explained that it wasn't stored in oak barrels, which is what darkens most whites. To be an official "winemaker" in Chile, one must have a degree in agriculture. The rationale is that knowing what to do after the grapes are grown does you no good if you don't know how to grow good grapes. She explained that it's possible to make bad wine from great grapes, but never vice versa.
I haven't been able to fine any Errazuriz wines in the Phoenix area. If you know where I might find some, please let me know...
Thanks,
Matt
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