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Of Chilean wine and Italian cuisine

By Earl D.C. Bracamonte, Contributor

10/01/2008

Paparazzi recently hosted the Casa Lapostolle Wine Dinner where the vintner, represented by brand ambassador Diego Urra, shared select wine varieties from the company’s wine ranges. The fusion of French expertise and Chile’s superb terroir was evident in the premium wines of Casa Lapostolle’s ranges as revealed during the food-and-wine pairing feast. Hotel chef Massimo Pettinau created a sumptuous menu combining Old World food experience with New World wines.

“Wines are a personal experience because of differences in palate. It’s about pleasure, passion and enjoyment. Our family has been vintners since 1827, producing elegant, high-quality wines under the Grand Marnier labels in France. Under Chile’s perfect terroir and nice weather, we’ve been bottling since 1994 with our Cuvee Merlot as first vintage,” revealed the 25-year-old Urra.

Urra mentioned that the perfect wine-growing conditions found in Chile are attributed to the existence of cordilleras and the influence of the maritime winds. He revealed that 70 percent of the Apalta vineyards are 60 to 75 years old, yielding highly concentrated grapes.

Since graduating from the Vitiviniculture Technology Center of Colchagua (Santa Cruz, Chile) in 2003, Urra has participated in different courses and seminars related to frost control, underground irrigation, liquid and solid industrial tailings treatment and buds analysis. He started working for Casa Lapostolle in 2006, combining foreign visitors hospitality with wine-making.

The young winemaker, together with Yves Coppin, Asia director for both Grand Marnier and Casa Lapostolle labels, led the diplomatic, business and media representatives through the wine production history of the vintner’s family. The original cuttings were brought over to Chile from France in the last century, before the dreaded phylloxera louse attacked the roots of the parent stock in Europe. As a result, the vines in Chile descended from great lineage.

The six-course meal started with canapes and the classic white wine, Casa Lapostolle Sauvignon Blanc, whose blend carries 50 percent of Semillon grapes. The Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet varieties are all grown in the Requinoia plateau at the foothills of the Andes mountains.

The evening’s gustatory journey progressed to our entree. First came Scottati di tonno ai pepi con insalatina di finocchi e arance salsa agli agrumi e riduzione al balsamico, seared tuna with fresh fennel and orange salad with citrus dressing and balsamic reduction. The peppery fish dish with the right morsels of fruit and vegetable shreds went well with the Casa Lapostolle Cuvee Alexander Chardonnay, a fruity white wine with fresh, minimal oak finish. The grapes for this wine were grown at the Casa Blanca region near the sea. “The Cuvee Alexander is our mid-range label, the most well-known and the heart of our collection. This series, that includes Pinot Noir, Shiraz, Merlot, Cabernet and Chardonnay, is best stored from five ‘til ten to 12 years,” informed Moet-Hennessy Shanghai Ltd. Asia director Yves Coppin.

Continuing the appetizer parade was ravioli di ossobuco con salsa allo zafferano, veal shank ravioli with saffron sauce — a cheesy pasta dish that paired great with the Casa Lapostolle Merlot, a classic red wine variety having a good complexity and best stored for two to three years. “Our classic labels include Sauvignon Blanc and Merlot, both concentrated with good aging potentials,” Coppin added.

Our taste buds actually tells us how a particular wine tastes like.

You’ll feel the sweetness at the tip of your tongue, sour notes on the sides, while salty and dry notes are felt in the mid part of our tongue.

After cleansing our palates with home-made sorbet, the main course was served: filleto di manzo con patate fondenti e spinaci salsa ai mirtilli or beef tenderloin with potato and spinach served with blueberry sauce. The meat dish paired well with the Casa Lapostolle Cuvee Alexander Merlot, a red wine with no harsh tannins, blending 85 percent Merlot with 15 percent Carmenere grapes. Twenty hectares in the central valley region of Colchagua is devoted to the vineyards planted with Carmenere, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon varieties used for the premium blend.

Prior to dessert, we were served grana padano e pecorino sardo, Parmesan and pecorino cheeses with brown bread and home-made jam. This was the high point of the dinner as it was at this juncture that we were privileged to sample the rare blend Casa Lapostolle Clos Apalta, a premium label found mainly in Chile, and which could be stored up until 15 years. This 80 percent blend of Carmenere-Merlot and 20 percent Cabernet, sourced from the very best lots of old vine fruit, received 96 points from the Wine Spectator magazine, the highest distinction bestowed to a Chilean wine. Clos Apalta is a delightful blend of red fruits, black cherry, blackberries, raspberry combined with notes of chocolate and coffee. It is consistently the highest-rated South American wine to date because of its taste and smooth texture. The only places in the country serving this rare wine are Amanpulo resort in Palawan and the fine dining restaurant Red in Makati Shangri-La.

The meal was perfectly capped with tortino di ciocolato e pere con mandorle e salsa di fragole fresche, chocolate pudding with pears and almonds served with fresh strawberry sauce.

“All our grape varieties come from France and were all grown organically without the aid of harmful chemicals. A portion of our vineyards, about five percent, produce the perfumed, creamy-textured grapes used for our iconic or premium labels like the Clos Apalta. All in all, we market 11 distinct labels,” revealed brand ambassador Diego Urra during a speech over dinner.

According to Sr. Urra, what distinguishes Casa Lapostolle is their commitment to quality where vineyards are grown completely organic with the management of canopy to avoid diseases and optimize maturation. The grapes are harvested and de-stemmed by hand. The wine-making tradition of the Marnier-Lapostolle family in France has created the first Chilean property dedicated to the production of world-class, super-premium wines.

For more wine information, contact Philippine chief representative Olga Azarcon (0918-8008877) and/or trade marketing officer Venus Esquivel (0917-5336483) of Moet Hennessy Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., the Philippine distribution company, through their Web site www.closapalta.com and/or www.casalapostolle.com or tel. nos. 750-1606 to 09. Regional concerns may be addressed to Asia director Yves Coppin through mobile +8613917386837 or e-mail yves.coppin@ap.moet-hennessy.com. For international concerns in other parts of the globe, simply get in touch with the company’s brand ambassador through tel. no. (56)(72) 321-803/4, fax (56)(72) 321-806 and/or e-mail durra@casalapostolle.cl