Chile Chilli

Paola Reserva, Chile, 2008

D. O. Maule Valley

Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenere, Syrah

Sainsbury's £5.00 - reduced from £6.99

It was only half way through drinking this charming bottle that I realised the unwitting coincidence of my choice of wine for my opening blog tasting - A Chilean wine for a chilli. OK, so we're not talking geographical coincidence here - I'm well aware of the Mexican provenance of this evening's dish but the serendipity of the words was momentarily pleasing. Words aside, lets give this evening's first tasting a bit of context. Here's how we arrived at glugging a very decent first bottle.

Back at home Harry, my 22 year old son, was making a chilli so I decided to go for something gutsy to wash what I knew would be a fairly powerful combination of mince beef, peppers, chilli and other ingredients he felt compelled to throw in to the the mix. After four years at Uni in London, Harry has perfected this and many other student dishes so I knew when I got back in we'd be in for a decent nosh up.

Ruth, his twin sister, is unfortunately in hospital at the moment so evening meals are definitely on the hoof and alcohol (of the red wine variety) is part of the recovery process back at home.

As expected the chilli was spot on and the wine was a perfect choice and a star performer. At £5 a throw (albeit with a £2.99 discount) this was punching way above its weight. Its deep plummy nose reminded me of the eccentric Zinfandel of which I'm a great fan - although a decent one from a US vineyard such as Ravenswood can set you back nearly a tenner. This however had a bit more of a balanced bouquet which stayed in the glass after the thing had been repeatedly wrung bone dry.

Harry loved its big full flavour of berries and blackurrants and I was deeply impressed by its ability to stand out from a fire eating chilli and maintain a confident poised presence on the palate. Ruth would have loved its smooth velvety flavour and Mrs W, their mum (another fan of the original Zin) would rave about it too. I'll see if I can save a glass for tomorrow. Likely story.

All in all, a thoroughly decent wine at an indecently well behaved price. This is not just a mid week, Wednesday evening bottle of wine, it's a class act that actually deserves to be drunk alongside, dare I say it, a more sophisticated culinary offering. It's also the kind of wine you'd be more than happy to take to a dinner party and be confident that your host or fellow guests would make some very positive noises about. A robust, highly capable little beast.

No doubt, we shall stop off on the hospital and get some reserve supplies to celebrate Ruth's eventual discharge which will be a few weeks yet.

What a fantastic start with some fantastic first night scores. They can't all be this good.

Value 9/10 (even at its non discounted price of £6.99)
Decent honest wine 9/10
Probability of buying more 10/10
Dinner party appeal 9/10
A Class act or Bottom of the Class? A definite Class Act