Wine drinkers love variety. While we all expect a good sampling of the big grapes, we can often be tempted by varietals that aren’t household names. This is particularly true of grapes that come with a story. And for a grape with a great story there are few “off-names” that are more interesting than a Chilean immigrant that has been reborn as a national brand.

For nearly on hundred and fifty years, Chilean wine makers have been harvesting a grape that many thought was Merlot. This was due in large part to physical similarities of the grape and vine. In fact, during most of the 20^th century, they had been inadvertently collecting and processing the two varietals together, creating a Chilean Merlot that had markedly different properties to those produced elsewhere.

Wine makers did notice some differences, however. Some of the grapes had a tendency to ripen quicker than regular Merlot. They had some small physical differences as well. When young, the leaves had a reddish hue underneath where Merlot’s leaves are white. There are also very slight differences in the shape of the leaves.

Then, in 1994. Professor Jean-Michel Bousiquor from the Montpellier’s school of Oenology confirmed what many had suspected. It turned out that the earlier-ripening vine was Carmenere and not Merlot. In the space of a short time, winemakers were creating a brand new wine that they claimed as the national prid of Chile. Or so they thought.

As it turns out, Carmenere comes form France. Some believe that it is the antecedent of other better-known varietals from the Medoc region of Dordeaux, and was used for blending purposes in the same way that Petit Verdot has been.

Far from being a pedistrain grape, this varietal has an noble heritage. Camenere is a memberof the Cabernet family and is also known as Grand Vidure. Along with Caberner sauvignon, Cabernet franc, Merlot, Malbec and Petit verdot, it is considered part of original six noble grapes of Bordeaux.

There have also been suggestions that Carmenere is actually Biturica, a vine popular in Ancient Rome and also the name by which the city of Bordeaux was known during the period. If that is the case, it would have originated in Iberia (modern-day Spain and Portugal).

In 1867, Phylloxera destroyed most of the vineyards of Europe and nearly eradicated Carmenere. When the plague subsided and farmers began replanting, it was difficult to find suitable clippings. In addition, the vine was susceptible to coulure, a condition where the buds are prevented from flowering. Thus, growers turned to more hardy varieties eventually leading to the near abandonment of carmenere. For year after it was presumed extinct.

As it turns out, cuttings of Carmenere were shipped to Chile during the 19^th Century. The Chilean growers, often confusing them with Merlot, planted much of them in the valleys around Santiago. The dryer growing season resulted in less appearance of couulure and there was no phylloxera so the plant flourished almost unnoticed until the 1994 discovery.

Carmenere doesn’t like to grow in cold, humid climate. While this was a problem in late 19^th century Bordeaux, the valleys around Santiago remain quite dry during the growing season. The grape also likes a long growing season; which results in high sugar levels before the tannins ripen. The ideal conditions in Chile have resulted in it being the largest area of plantings for the variety.

That’s not to say that you can’t find it in other wine regions. Carmenere is also grown in Itly’s Eastern Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia regions as well as in smaller quantities in the California and Walla Walla regions of the United States. But Chile has adopted the grape and made it its own. They are trying to create the same link with Carmenere that you see with New Zealand and sauvignon blance as well as Argentina and malbec.

Conch y Toro, one of the leading wineries of Chile, has 100 hectrares planted from the best Carmenere clone and produces a varietal that is aged in both French and American white oak barrels for at least 3-4 years before release. But it is hardly alone in producing labels of exceptional quality.

Carmenere is quite different from its relative, cabernet sauvignon or its look-alike, merlot. It is robed in deep red or crimson with aromas of red fruits, spices and berries. The medium body show a smokiness in structure and when in balance imparts flavors of cherry, blackberry, spice and earth with tannins that are more gentle and softer than Cabernet Sauvignon. Carmenere is best drunk young; however, it is capable of ageing.

The spice and smoke make Carmenere a great accompaniment to bergers and gilled meats. It plays will with Parmegiano Reggiano, pasta in meat sauces, roast rack of lamb and braised duck.