What to Pair Your Carménère With

3 Recipes for Carménère

Grilled Meats

Grilled Meats

Description :

Chianti’s firm tannins and medium body pair beautifully with grilled meats such as steak, lamb, or pork chops.

Chilean Cuisine

Chilean Cuisine

Description :

Traditional Chilean dishes like porotos granados (a bean stew with corn, squash, and basil) pair well with Carménère. The wine’s acidity cuts through the richness of the stew, while its herbal notes complement the flavors of the dish.

Spicy Dishes

Spicy Dishes

Description :

Carménère’s subtle peppery notes and smooth texture make it an excellent match for spicy dishes like Mexican carnitas or Indian curry. The interplay of spices in the food and the wine creates a dynamic and harmonious pairing.

More on Carménère

Malbec Wine Description

Carménère is a red wine grape variety originally from Bordeaux, France, but is now primarily grown in Chile, where it has become the country’s flagship grape. The wine is known for its distinctive green pepper notes, due to the presence of methoxypyrazines, and its rich flavors of dark berries and spices. Carménère typically produces medium to full-bodied wines with a smooth texture and balanced acidity.

Appearance:

  • Color: Carménère wines typically exhibit a deep ruby to purple color, often with inky hues.
  • Opacity: High opacity, indicating a wine with a dense concentration of pigments and flavors.

Aroma:

  • Primary Aromas: Dominant aromas include blackberries, plums, raspberry sauce, and dark cherries.
  • Secondary Aromas: Notes of green bell pepper, black pepper, and spices such as paprika, reflecting the grape’s characteristic methoxypyrazine profile.
  • Tertiary Aromas:With aging, Carménère can develop complex aromas such as tobacco, leather, chocolate, and a hint of earthiness or smokiness

Flavor Profile:

  • Fruit Flavors: Predominantly dark fruit flavors like blackberry, black cherry, and plum.
  • Other Flavors: Notes of green bell pepper, black pepper, chocolate, tobacco, and sometimes a smoky or earthy quality.
  • Oak Influence:Carménère is often aged in oak barrels, which can impart flavors of vanilla, chocolate, and subtle spice, adding complexity to the wine’s profile.

Structure:

  • Body: Medium to full-bodied, offering a lush and velvety texture on the palate.
  • Tannins: Medium to high tannins, providing a firm structure that supports aging.
  • Acidity: Medium acidity, which helps balance the rich fruit flavors and adds freshness.
  • Alcohol: Ranges from 13.5% to 15%.

Popular Locations for Carménère

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