A Napa Valley Claret Wine  from the Ramey Winery

The term “Claret Wine” encompasses quite a few definitions over time. Ramey Winery calls this a Claret wine, rather than a simple Cabernet Blend.  This is a worthy classification and  true in the sense of traditional Claret especially if we look at the history of Claret wines.

The term Claret is commonly used to define a red wine from the Bordeaux region of France.  

The five red grapes grown in Bordeaux are: Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Malbec ; hence most Bordeaux reds are a blend of those grapes.

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2006 Cabernet Sauvignon Chilean Wine Review

We’ve all heard of Concha Y Toro, right? Hard not to—it’s been around for some time and for some of us (well, me) it represents good value varietals from Chile. Concho Y Toro is always a safe bet at restaurants when the list is not that impressive. You will know that you are getting a good bottle of varietal wine from Chile. To be honest, this may be a key reason my impression of Chilean wine goes back to the serviceable, good value issue.

Chile Wine That is Unlike Other Chilean Red Wines

Chilean wine is a contentious topic.  The problem is I haven’t had any — or I should say, many – really good wines from Chile. I know good Chilean red wine exists, but I usually go elsewhere, preferably a safe, well-known route. Well, the 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon Marques de Casa Concha from the Conchy Y Toro family destroyed this myth. I mean, it shot it right out of the water. (more…)