Value Red from Chile: The “Cab-énère” that wasn’t.

As you may have noticed, I’ve been shopping with an eye towards today… the big day. Wine Blogging Wednesday featuring Value Reds from Chile. Dear reader… I was born for this moment. You know this. Nobody loves cheap red wine like the Vinagoth. Cheap GOOD red wines abound on the “South America” shelf of your local wine merchant. Trust me. You will find values that will blow your mind. Stuff that puts some of California’s finest to shame in terms of value for the dollar (or peso as the case may be.) I can blather on endlessly about the excellent wines coming from Chile these days and I often do!

I’ve drank this wine before, but never written about it. So when I spotted it on a recent jaunt through the grocery store I snagged a bottle specifically for today’s post. It is a Cono Sur 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon/Carménère. This my friends is a fully buzzword compliant Chilean Value Red. It mixes the well-known standard of the wine industry, Cabernet Sauvignon, with the signature grape of Chile, Carménère. It comes from the legendary viticultural are of Chile’s Colchagua Valley. It is made from organically grown grapes. The vineyard workers commute by bicycle for goodness sakes. Drinking this wine makes you feel better than driving a Prius! By swallowing this liquid, you are saving the planet! Hell, why not drink it while you’re driving your Prius?

Oh wait… nevermind.

Best of all, you can save the planet for under 12 bucks as this wine set me back a mere $11.99. Yep a dozen dollars for this fine example of Planetary Defense.

I really looked forward to making this MY contribution to this month’s WBW. But, like any wise man, I grabbed another value red from Chile as a backup. Good thing to. You see… I wanted to tell you all about my experience with this wine. From buying, to opening, tasting, smelling, etc. I wanted to describe how the sophisticated Cabernet tempers the ballsy Carménère. To describe the nose, the feel, the finish. The full sensory and empirical experience.

Unfortunately Mrs. Barbarian drank it all.

Sigh. I managed to grab a small sip and it was good. The Mrs. gave me that smirky grin that only wives can get away with. Had I done the same thing and offered that smirky grin in explanation she’d have unleashed the lawyers and taken me for every penny and left me with the shirt on my back… if that. She obviously liked it, but she doesn’t write the reviews around here.

So… on to Plan B.