Carmenère discovery challenge - blind tasting

Discover Chile's signature grape at Vina Carmen, where winemakers specialize in Carmenère - the "lost grape of Bordeaux" rediscovered in Chilean vineyards in 1994. Learn to identify its distinctive herbal, spicy character through guided comparative tastings.

What to do there

5 things to do

1. 1 Stand in the Vineyard Where a 127-Year Extinction Ended History · Price: moderate

   On November 24, 1994, French researcher Jean-Michel Boursiquot stepped out of a car in this vineyard, looked at the orange shoot-tips and twisted stamens, and said four words that changed Chilean wine forever: 'This is Carménère.' The grape had been thought extinct since 1867, when phylloxera wiped it from every vineyard in France. It had been hiding here — mislabeled as Merlot — for 140 years. You're standing where that happened.

   Where: Viña Santa Rita, Camino Padre Hurtado 0695, Alto Jahuel, Buin — 45 minutes south of Santiago on Highway 5 South. Book the 'Tour Carménère' (horse-drawn carriage tour) at santaritaonline.com or santarita.com/en/visit-us/. Runs Tuesday–Sunday; English tours at 10:00am and 2:45pm.

   What: The horse-drawn carriage takes you through the vineyard to the EXACT block of vines where Boursiquot made his identification. Your guide will show you what he saw: the orange-tinged shoot tips (in season, October–April) and explain how twisted stamens — a tiny botanical quirk — blew up 140 years of mistaken identity. Winemaker Álvaro Espinoza had been keeping this block separate for years because the 'Merlot' was so good and ripened so late. He had no idea why until a French scientist looked at the flowers.

   How: Classic Tour is CLP ~27,000/person (~$30 USD). Includes carriage ride, vineyard walk, production facility, historic cellars, and tasting. Premium Tour is ~$71 USD (6 ultra-premium wines + cheese board). Book at least 48h in advance; tours fill.

   Backup: If fully booked, Concha y Toro in nearby Pirque (Virginia Subercaseaux 210, Pirque) also covers the Carménère rediscovery story in their winery tour from ~$15 USD — but they don't take you to the original discovery vineyard block.

   Log Memory
2. 2 Touch the Cellar That Sheltered 120 Patriots in 1814 History · Free

   Two centuries before anyone knew what Carménère was, this lime-and-stone cellar was the difference between Chile's independence succeeding or failing. After the Battle of Cancha Rayada in 1814, the royalist Spanish army was hunting down the survivors of Chile's liberation movement. Doña Paula Jaraquemada opened these cellar doors and hid 120 soldiers — buying time for the revolution. Today it's a National Monument. The '120' wine on every shelf in Chile is named for those men.

   Where: The Bodega de los 120 Patriotas inside Viña Santa Rita's estate (same location as Step 1: Camino Padre Hurtado 0695, Alto Jahuel). The cellar is included in all tour options at no extra cost. It's a declared Chilean National Monument.

   What: Walk into the original 19th-century lime-and-stone vault. Your guide explains the 1814 story: Spanish royalists in pursuit, Doña Paula's decision to shelter the fighters, and how this single act extended the independence campaign long enough for Bernardo O'Higgins to regroup. The winery's entire tourism narrative is built around this cellar — it predates wine production here by 66 years. Run your hands along the walls. They have not been rebuilt.

   How: Included in Classic Tour (CLP ~27,000/~$30 USD). No additional booking needed — it's part of the standard route. Look for the 'Patio de los 120 Patriotas' on the estate map. Also, find a bottle of '120' in the winery shop — it's Santa Rita's entry-level label named for these exact soldiers. Worth taking home.

   Backup: If you skip the full tour, the exterior courtyard (Patio de los 120 Patriotas) is accessible during estate opening hours and free to walk through. The commemorative plaque tells the full story.

   Log Memory
3. 3 Blind Taste the Grape That Fooled Chile for 140 Years Wine · Price: moderate

   Here is the actual challenge: pour a glass of Carménère and a glass of Merlot, nose them both, and try to identify which is which. This is the exact test Jean-Michel Boursiquot failed to make — he knew immediately. You might not. The key is the pyrazine: a chemical compound that creates the unmistakable scent of jalapeño or green bell pepper. Once you smell it, you'll recognize Carménère for the rest of your life. No other major red grape has this fingerprint.

   Where: The tasting room at Viña Santa Rita (same estate). The Tour Carménère specifically ends with a four-wine Carménère tasting with cheese board — this is the ideal format for the blind challenge. Alternatively, request the Carménère–Merlot comparative pour from any staff member.

   What: Smell the first glass before you taste it. Close your eyes. Hunt for jalapeño, green bell pepper, chives. That's methoxypyrazine — IBMP — a compound that exists at concentrations 5–20x higher in Carménère than in Merlot. After the nose, taste: look for dark fruit (plum, blackberry, black cherry), then chocolate, then that long green finish. The color will also tell you: Carménère pours deeper purple-red than Merlot's lighter ruby. If you guess wrong the first time, ask for a second pour and try again.

   How: Tour Carménère includes the 4-wine tasting. Classic Tour includes 3 wines (ask your guide if one can be a Carménère). Premium Tour at ~$71 includes ultra-premium Carménère. Also taste Carmen brand wines here — Carmen is Chile's first winery (1850), founded one year before the discovery estate was separated from it, and the Carmen Gran Reserva Carménère is a benchmark bottle.

   Backup: If not doing a formal tour, head directly to Bocanáriz wine bar in Santiago's Lastarria neighborhood (José Victorino Lastarria 276) — 300 Chilean wines by the glass, all-sommelier staff, and they do exactly this comparative pour as a matter of course. Ask for 'Carménère vs Merlot comparación.'

   Log Memory
4. 4 Read the Andes From the Vine Row That Changed Everything Adventure · Free

   Stand in the vineyard at Alto Jahuel and look east. The snowcap Andes are right there — you can see individual peaks. What you're standing on is the reason Carménère survived: alluvial gravel laid down by the Maipo River over millennia, excellent drainage, 400m elevation above sea level, cold Andean air streaming down at night. This landscape made Chile's vineyards too hostile for phylloxera. The same extreme geography that kept pests out was keeping a lost Bordeaux grape alive without anyone knowing.

   Where: In the vineyard itself during the Santa Rita tour, or from the public road alongside the estate. The vineyard rows face east directly toward the Andes. On a clear day — best from May through November — you can see the full snowcapped ridge.

   What: Find a vine row and walk along it toward the mountains. The gravel in the soil underfoot is Maipo River sediment — same material that made this valley famous for Cabernet Sauvignon long before Carménère became the star. Notice the vine canopy: in modern viticulture, leaf thinning is done deliberately on Carménère to reduce shade and bring pyrazine concentrations down from aggressive green-pepper to the elegant herbal balance prized today. The winemakers of the 1850s didn't know any of this. They just grew what arrived from Bordeaux.

   How: Included in all Santa Rita tours (free within the Classic Tour). If you want this purely for free without booking a tour, the Camino Padre Hurtado road alongside the estate offers views of the vineyard and Andes. Best light for Andes views is morning (arrive by 9am) before clouds build.

   Backup: Take a 10-minute drive east from the winery toward the Andes foothills on Camino Huillinco — the terrain rises into the Andean piedmont and the vineyard panorama opens up dramatically.

   Log Memory
5. 5 Descend Into the Devil's Cellar at Casillero del Diablo Adventure · Price: low · Optional

   In the late 1800s, Don Melchor de Concha y Toro had a problem: workers kept stealing his best wines. His solution was not a lock — it was a rumor. He spread the word that the devil himself lived in the cellar to protect the wines. It worked. The label 'Casillero del Diablo' (Devil's Cellar) became Chile's most recognized wine brand, sold in 150 countries. Tonight, you're going in. The cellar is real. The legend runs the country.

   Where: Viña Concha y Toro, Virginia Subercaseaux 210, Pirque (also ~45 min from Santiago, 20 min from Santa Rita). Booking: enoturismo.conchaytoro.com

   What: The new 'Centro del Vino' tour (120 minutes) begins in the historic gardens of Casa Don Melchor, enters the Casillero del Diablo multisensory experience room, then descends into the original underground cellar — the actual vault where the legend was born. You'll taste Carménère from the Casillero del Diablo line here, underground, surrounded by barrels. For the ultimate version: the Night Tour has Don Isidro (a character guide) lead you by starlight through the gardens with sparkling wine, then into the cellar for 4 wines + 3-course dinner. Max 25 guests. Awarded Best Wine Tourism Experience in Metropolitan Region 2024.

   How: Basic tour ~$15 USD. Night tour — check enoturismo.conchaytoro.com for current pricing and dates, book 1–2 weeks in advance. The basic $15 tour is extraordinary value: it includes Carménère + Merlot + Sauvignon Blanc tasting in the historic Casillero del Diablo cellar itself.

   Backup: If Concha y Toro is booked, Undurraga winery (Camino Melipilla Km 34, Talagante, 34km from Santiago) also offers Carménère tastings in historic cellars from ~$20 USD. Built 1885, guided tours 8am–6:30pm.

   Log Memory

Insider tips

• Request the Carmenère vertical or comparison tasting

• The winery's century-old barrel cellar is atmospheric

• Combine with nearby Santa Rita for a full day