Casas del Bosque Carmenere Reserva is a fantastic example of this Chilean speciality. Aged for 10 months in French oak it has a marvellous graphite quality reminiscent of the wines of Graves in Bordeaux. This brings a degree of freshness to the black cherry fruit which is wound round the heady notes of cedar, lavender, tobacco, cinnamon and plums. It’s a fantastic wine and one to crack out at any opportunity.

Casas del Bosque was founded in 1993 by Juan Cuneo Solari and was one of the first wineries to establish themselves in the Casablanca Valley. The valley benefits from cooler coastal conditions which is perfect for cool climate grape varieties like Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Riesling, Pinot Noir & Syrah. Casas del Bosque now have 245 hectares of vines in Santa Rosa, on the west side of the Casablanca Valley which is dedicated to these varieties. Their Cabernet Sauvignon and Carmenere are produced from their own 35-year-old vines located in Quinta Tilcoco, in the more southerly Rapel Valley where the warmer climate helps ripen the grapes. For us, the wines had the perfect balance of ripe fruit and subtle elegance making them refined rather than sweet fruit bombs.