Santa Carolina Cabernet Sauvignon

Price: $2 (ya, for real!)

Appearance: A deep, almost violet red

Nose: Very sweet, dominated by a strong berry smell, but altogether not very strong

Palate: Very fruity, the dominant flavor being blueberry, with little spice to it. It finishes pretty rough and doesn't leave the most pleasant taste in your mouth, with a slightly chalky texture

Verdict: As one of the easy to find budget wines of Chile, the Santa Carolina Caberbet Sauvignon disappoints. It tastes as if someone mixed grape juice with malt liquor (a la Franzia?) and doesn't have a noteworthy nose. Maybe this is why my family uses Santa Carolina as a cooking wine... For $2 a pot you can't expect much, but there are certainly better Chilean wines near this price. Frankly, I'd rather drink boxed Gato wine (which is surprisingly good). Go on, spend the extra $1 to get yourself something that's worthwhile (This should carry some weight coming from a broke, stingy college kid).

Concha y Toro: Casillero del Diablo Carmenere

The original "Casillero del Diablo"

Note the devil silhouette at the end of the hall

Casillero del Diablo, the coolest named wine in all of Chile, literally means "Devil's locker." It comes from a hundred year old story of a winemaker who in order to protect some of his best wines from being stolen, started a rumor that one corner of his cellar was possessed by the devil. The legend goes that the trick worked, and the name stuck. You can still visit the original "Casillero del Diablo" section of the Concha y Toro cellar outside of Santiago. There's even a little devil painted on the far wall.

Price: $7

Appearance: This carmenere takes on a very deep red color, highlighted by lighter, more transparent borders

Nose: The smell is not overly powerful, with a base of sweet fruits and a slight hint of spice

Palate: This Casillero del Diablo version of the hugely popular and characteristically Chilean carmenere grape is extremely smooth. It doesn't have the sugary sting associated with cheaper carmeneres but instead is defined by a smoothness and a clean finish. The taste brings out more of the spice of the wine, with flavors of pepper.

Verdict: This was an extremely enjoyable wine. It's price is about double that of other good cameneres, but the quality difference is very noticeable. Can be drank with a variety of wines, as well as being a great stand-alone wine, perfect for a relaxing night. Perfect as a gift wine, when you would like to bring something a little bit nicer and that has a good story behind it. Also a great option when you're out with a lady and would like to show a little bit of sophistication along with a mysterious side. You know guys, to keep her guessing. You don't want to play all your cards too soon.

Terremoto

A Terremoto is a unique drink that cannot be found everywhere and is a must try for any visitor to Chile. Terremoto literally means "earthquake," and despite it's political incorrectness in Chile, is still used as a name. It consists of a generous portion of citrus ice cream (pinneaple maybe?) immersed in a very strong mix of sweet fermented white wine (

Pipeño)

and fernet, a bitter, herby liquor. When first served it is clearly separated, with the darker brown fernet sitting on top of the semi-transparent, yellowish-brown

Pipeño and the ice cream floating on top. After a little waiting and vigorous stirring, the whole concoction stars to mix, with the melted ice cream adding a creamy consistency and appearance to the drink. This critic sampled the Terremoto at La Piojera, a decidedly sketchy bar just off metro station Cal y Canto that is a necessary visit for anyone travelling through Santiago. Piojera comes from the word piojo, which means "lice." The walls and tables of the place are covered in handwritten messages and signatures, the whole place reaks of cigarette smoke, and the combination of conversations and wandering musicians makes for a very loud loud atmosphere. Also worth a try is the Marremoto (Tsunami), the close cousing of the Terremoto make with creme de menthe instead of fernet.

Price: $3-$4

Appearance: Starts off looking like slightly dark cloudy white wine, but later resembles a frapuccino when sufficiently mixed and melted

Nose: You don't drink a Terremoto because of how it smells. It pretty much smells like a bitter mix of bad, old white wine and citrus ice cream.

Palate: Your first sip will not be pleasant. It is drank from a straw, and your first sip will most certainly contain just fernet and p

ipeño. It stings you with a bittery, sweet, over-fermented taste, similar to apple juice that has been sitting in your fridge for too long mixed with bittering hops. Resist the urge to dig in (it won't be hard), and wait for the ice cream to melt. You are then rewarded (somewhat) with a much more rewarding experience. The melted citrus ice cream does wonders to smooth out the bitterness and the sting from the admittedly very strong alcoholic drink.

Verdict:

So purely from a taste and olfactory sense, I haven't done a great job of selling this drink. Yet something about the combination of a sketchy atmosphere, the experience of sharing such a unique drink with some close friends, and probably the high alcohol content make this drink a must try. Strongly recommended (at least to try once).

Gato Cabernet Sauvignon

Price Around $4

Appearance Dark cherry red

Nose Berries

Palate Very easy to drink, smooth, and sweet. Has a fruity flavor. You won't be disappointed.

Summary If you want to impress a girl with your wine choice, don't pick this. This is too sweet for a guy. If you choose this, you will be known as a guy who likes to order a Margarita with an umbrella instead of a Heineken and likes to watch the Real World instead of the Super Bowl. Anyways, you get the idea. If you like to just chill with a cup of wine by yourself, this is probably a good choice as it is cheap and not bad for some relaxation tool. The Gato is a good brand that offers quality taste for just under 4 bucks. I love Chile.

Bienvenidos

Shu and I would like to offer our most heartfelt welcome. This blog shall be a site dedicated to the exploration of all the beer, wine, and liquors offered in Chile. Throughout our semester abroad, reviews will be offered of all the beverages we have the privilege of savoring.

And do not worry about the legitimacy of our opinions. Our palates are extremely refined and we have been schooled in the art of drinking at the best institute of higher learning, our dear University of Notre Dame. Enjoy