Wine Across the Water

Winemaking in this hemisphere started with the Spanish funded exploiters, missionaries, and conquistadors who crossed the ocean looking for materials and colonial opportunities centuries ago. In the 1600s, they brought grapes with them to Central and South America, planting vines to make new grapes to, in turn, make wine both for secular and religious consumption.

One of the first grapes they brought with them was Listan Prieto from Castilla-La Mancha. Though it has since disappeared from Spain, it continues today as Chile’s País — one of their most planted red grapes. Over time grapes crossed with each other and/or mutated enough that they became their own varieties. Oenologists call these new varieties the Criolla family of grapes.

After Chile gained its independence from Spain in 1818, rich Chilean land owners who had travelled to France reached out to oenolgists there to bring French grapes to Chile. (From there, they moved on to Argentina.) At that point, Spanish influence in new world winemaking took a back seat to the new invaders like Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and, of course, Malbec.

This Friday, we give a nod to this wine history by pouring some Spanish wines and South American wines. Please join guest pourer Michael Smith from distributor Native Selections for another of our great, free, walk-up tastings.