Saintly wines from Chile
These days, some of the best value table wines come from Chile. You can rarely
go wrong with them. Here are two wines named after St. Cecilia who is, as you
may recall (or possibly never knew) the Patron Saint of Music. She was born in
the second or third century, the daughter of a wealthy Roman family who were
also Christians. The story goes that she was promised to a pagan in marriage,
but having vowed her virginity to God, subsequently went around Rome wearing
clothes of sackcloth. These days, she’d probably be wheeled away to a
psychiatric ward, but the ancient Romans must have been more tolerant. St.
Cecilia (who of course, wasn’t a saint at the time) aroused the ire of the
authorities with her preaching and was eventually arrested. Poor Cecilia died a
martyr but for hundreds of years afterwards, she was celebrated in songs, poetry
and paintings.
Incidentally, if you buy these St. Cecilia wines at Central,
you’ll see a “C” sticker on the bottle. This is a guarantee that the wines have
been shipped and stocked in a controlled temperature, ensuring they will be in
top condition.
Santa Cecilia Sauvignon Blanc
2009 (white), Chile. (Central & Tops,
Bt. 399)
I’ve come to the conclusion that I appreciate wines that are,
as they say in the trade, “a bit shy on the nose”. I know it can be fun to drink
a turbo-charged white from California from time to time, but honestly, it’s
sometimes like being hit in the face with a sack of pineapples.
So here’s a wine that fits the bill exactly for me and
hopefully for you too. This Sauvignon Blanc (SOH-vihn-yohn BLAHN) has a
lovely soft aroma of gooseberries and lychee with hints of lemon in the
background. It looks lovely too. One of the attractions of a glass of cold white
wine is to watch the condensation form on the outside of the glass and gaze at
the leg-like rivulets of wine slowly slipping down the insides of the glass.
Heavens, I really must get out a bit more.
Anyway, the taste. Well, it’s pleasantly assertive in a
Saint-like sort of way. It has a light body and a good bite of acidity that
gives the wine a zesty quality. It’s balanced by a lovely rich fruit and there’s
a long lemony finish too, with just the faintest hint of herbs. It’s only 12%
alcohol content and I’d be perfectly happy to drink this on its own.
Alternatively, chicken, fish dishes and seafood would be obvious partners. I
think it would go well with some Asian food, especially some mild Thai and
Chinese dishes.
Santa Cecilia Cabernet
Sauvignon 2010 (red), Chile. (Central & Tops,
Bt. 399)
This wine looks good too: a deep red colour with those leggy
rivulets that appear when you swirl it around the glass. There’s a really
attractive fruity aroma of blackberries and dark fruit with a slight touch of
lemon in the background.
The flavour is really up front - a sharp and highly-focused
blackcurrant taste, with a smooth and silky mouth-feel supported by very soft
tannins. It rather reminds me of red Bordeaux. I’d suggest that you drink this
on the cool side, because this will help to “firm up” the body. Be sure to open
the screw-topped bottle about twenty minutes before you need it. This will help
the aroma to develop and also soften the tannins, making the wine taste rounder
and more supple.
This is a well-made easy drinker and although it has just
over 13% alcohol, it’s light-bodied enough to go it alone. It would make a good
everyday wine too; interesting, enjoyable and fun to drink. So if you don’t
mind, I’ll have another couple of glasses and ruminate on poor old St Cecilia
traipsing around Rome in her sackcloth.
