Wine World The Maipo Valley, Chile, arguably one of the finest wine producing regions in the world
Check out authentic artisan wines
Mairead Robinson champions the growth of the Chilean Wine industry at the Senior Times Live Show at the RDS
Santa Rita winemaker Oscar Salas The fact that Chilean wine is the most popular wine sold in Ireland today, and has held that position for some years now, came as a surprise to some of the many people who enjoyed the tasting workshops in Dublin recently. During the three day event a number of tutored tastings took place where people got to enjoy a range of wines from Santa Rita and from Carmen – two very popular Chilean brands here in Ireland. First of all was Santa Rita 120 – Ireland’s favourite wine. While the Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc are well known, the newer Pinot Grigio has come more recently to the market and as a light white, it is destined to be a real summer hit. Wine maker at 120, Oscar Salas, who I chatted with on the Senior Times Podcast platform recently, has blended 85 per cent of Pinot Grigio with 15 per
cent of Moscatel to produce a wine that is both fresh and floral with a pleasant finish and it has an ageing potential of three years. What is interesting about this delightful wine is its alcohol content, which comes in at just 9.3 per cent, making it really suitable as an aperitif, a picnic wine, and perfect with light salad lunches. As several of the tasters remarked it is a perfect wine to keep in the fridge for when a friend drops by of a summer’s evening to sit in the garden a chat! The other Santa Rita wine that we tasted was the Medalla Real Reserva, which is 100 per cent Cabernet Sauvignon and is also made by Oscar Salas. It comes from the Maipo Valley, arguably one of the finest wine producing regions in the world and 60 per cent of the wine is aged in oak barrels for eight months, with the remaining 40 per cent aged in stainless
64 Senior Times | May - June 2022 | www.seniortimes.ie
