Mayu Carménère Appassimento 2018/19, Chile

Elqui Valley is Chile’s most extreme wine region – nearly 5000 feet above sea level, it has 300 days of summer and such clear skies that it’s famous for observatories. It’s a tough place to make wine – so it’s no surprise that there are only a few commercial wineries here. Winemaker Giorgio Flessati’s Italian roots have heavily influenced the way they make wine. In fact, this is the first appassimento Carménère in the world, made by leaving the grapes to dry until the flavours are much more pronounced. Black pepper. Plum. Fig. It’s incredibly rich, with plenty of black-fruit flavours and subtle sweetness from the dried grapes. Great with tagine.