A year ago, I started a love affair with Wines from Chile, and everything began with a glass of Veramonte Wines. Hence, Wine Tasting with Sofia Araya Chief Winemaker Veramonte Wines from Chile was a unique ocassion.
Last summer, I received a press package of these Organic Wines. I am always skeptical of those because sometimes Organic Wines labeling is misused, but this was not the case with Veramonte. They sent me a complete explanation of their organic practices, and even more, the taste was exceptional.
Veramonte Wines from Chile
I started tasting the Sauvignon Blanc 2020 and the Cabernet Sauvignon 2018. The aromas were pronounced, and the mouthfeel was magic. The Sauvignon Blanc was refreshing, but it was exquisite without that overwhelming green feel of some of the New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs. So, I said to myself, where these magic potions have been? Moreover, it was at an excellent price -below $15- and if you have followed me for some time, you know that I have a particular obsession with the quality price, and those are the wines that I like to recommend the most.
Hence, I knew I had to spread the word left and right with these gems. Therefore, I even hosted a Wine Divaa Experience, a wine tasting in real life at the French Cheese Board, pairing it with delicious wines.
Around Earth Day this year, I tried the new vintages of Veramonte Chardonnay, Veramonte Sauvignon Blanc, and Veramonte Carmenere. I was happy to see that they partnered with the non-profit organization Kiss the Ground. They want to focus efforts on healthy soils and create a symbiotic relationship with the earth. Their actions speak not only towards becoming Biodynamic. Moreover, supporting other initiatives World Wide that take care of our planet inspire me. Of course, these are the opportunities to be part of big family wines such as Gonzalez Byass, but it is also about the people behind it.
Why I am telling you all these snippets of my wine life around Wines from Chile? Because recently, I had the opportunity to join a Wine Tasting with Sofia Araya Chief Winemaker Veramonte Wines from Chile. I was thrilled to get to meet the woman behind these Wines.
Wine Tasting with Sofia Araya in New York
Born and raised in Chile, Sofía Araya has made wine in nearly every high-quality valley of her country since she graduated from la Universidad de Chile. After years of working on conventional farms for some big names, she moved to Veramonte. She helped transition the over 1,235 acres to 100% ECOCERT certified organic vineyards. Veramonte represents 15% of all organic vineyards in Chile.
Sofía is now the head winemaker and oversees the organic Veramonte and Ritual wineries and the organic and biodynamic Neyen and Primus wineries and is an excellent resource for the Chilean wine industry in general. She is very humble but knowledgeable and communicates a clear message about her winemaking techniques. She is also conscious that the Chilean wine industry has evolved over the past 15 years and is now at the best place to share their Carmenere and incursion into other Grape Varieties such as Malbec.
During the tasting, we tried:
Ritual Pinot Noir srp $21
Ritual Sauvignon Blanc srp $21
Primus The Blend srp $21
Primus Carmenere sro $21
Neyen Red Blend srp $65
Neyen Malbec $150
And I was impressed by the Neyen Apalta Malbec. Notwithstanding, this wine has been very well rated by James Suckling in recent years. My palate is sure now why these wines have received such great accolades.
The wine tasting was hosted in Lower Manhattan, New York. During the dinner, Sofia shared that she wants to get more recognition for the Chilean regions rather than the varietals. Perhaps it is not an emerging region, but this is an excellent time for Chilean Wines. I am sure there’s a great future for Chilean Wines. They will continue to engage us with their Sauvignon Blanc, Carmenere, Malbec, Red Blends, the Apalta Region, Pais Grapes to say the least.
