I had dinner a few weeks ago with Sergio Cuadra, chief winemaker at Caliterra, one of Chile's larger wineries (it produces 400,000 cases of wine a year -- almost five million bottles). Almost all Caliterra's wine is exported, and Canada is the company's third-largest market.
Before dinner (at Caffé Mio, on Wellington Street), we tasted the five Caliterra wines currently in the LCBO and then tasted them again (OK, drank them, this time) with food. I was very pleased to find that I like these wines as much as, or more than, I did when I first tasted the Caliterra range years ago.
I've reviewed four of the wines today. The other is the Shiraz Rosé 2006 ($11.95, LCBO No. 34272), which came into the LCBO in early August. (Rosé is a seasonal wine, and the LCBO brings more in during the summer in two releases, although August strikes me as a bit late.) The attractive Caliterra rosé, which is dry, quite concentrated and less crisp than many, will be on the shelves only as long as stocks last.
All the Caliterra wines in Ontario are above entry level, and the winery is pushing up the quality ladder. There's a higher tier of varietal wines called "Tribute" (sauvignon blanc, chardonnay, shiraz, cabernet sauvignon, malbec and Chile's signature variety, carmenère). So far, though, "Tribute" wines are available in Canada only in Alberta and British Columbia.
There's also what Mr. Cuadra calls "an icon wine" almost ready for release. At this point, however, what it is and what it's called are under wraps.
But it's these Reserva wines that I was most interested in, not only because they were staring me in the face at dinner, but because I think it's important to support good-quality, good-value wines that people can afford on an everyday basis. Mr. Cuadra says that at the Reserva level, Caliterra's aim is to make wines that are easy-drinking -- not too much tannin in the reds and attractive in the mouth, "so that you go for a second sip and keep on drinking."
The secret, of course, is balance. And what's really important at this level is getting the acidity right. Although many people shy away at the mention of acidity, wines too low in acidity (they're called "fat" or "flabby") are generally too sweet and cloying. They're not refreshing, they don't make you feel like having a second glass, and they're often disastrous with food.
The individual wines show the care Caliterra is taking to maintain balance. Mr. Cuadra keeps a tight rein on the oak influence in the chardonnay. About one-third is aged in stainless steel, the rest in oak barrels ranging from new to three years old. Then they're blended, ensuring you can taste the fruit unimpaired by the oak. Meanwhile, a little carmenère is blended into the merlot to give it weight and spice it up a little.
Caliterra has certainly achieved this balancing act with the Reserva wines, which went very well with Caffé Mio's calamari (the sauvignon blanc), antipasto plate (the chardonnay and rosé) and steak (the merlot and cabernet sauvignon).
Four wines from Caliterra this week.