WINE OF THE WEEK: Morandé One to One Old Vines País 2021, Maule Valley, Chile

£9, Majestic

This is another wine, like last week’s dry white Côtes de Thau, that offers a more unusual, great value alternative to a better known, more expensive wine, or, in this case, to three: Beaujolais-Villages, Pinot Noir or Etna Rosso.

With an invitingly fruity cherry-berry nose and a palate that mixes fruity roundness and freshness with an earthy, nutmeg, tree-bark savoury side, Morandé’s old-vine País, offers effortless enjoyment with added interest – especially if you serve it at a cool 12º–14ºC, like Beaujolais. We all need wines like this sometimes.

The grape variety itself, País, is the talking point and the reason why the wine is not more expensive. It’s an old Spanish variety which came to Chile early on and was used for rustic local brews before going seriously out of favour and into decline.

But in the last 15 years or so, it has been reevaluated and old vineyards rehabilitated by pioneering producers, such as Pablo Morandé, Miguel Torres and Pedro Parras. As a result, País’ reputation has risen, although generally not enough to command very high prices – to the good fortune of wine drinkers.

One to One País is made from 80-year-old vines in the warm, dry Coastal Range of the Maule Valley in the unirrigated Secano Interior. Apart from minimal applications of powdered sulphur, the plants are untreated.

The winemaking is non-interventionist, too: 40% of the bunches are destemmed; fermentation is in stainless steel with some in concrete eggs; and 25% of the wine is aged for six months in used barrels, the rest in stainless steel.

With low tannins, appetising freshness and fruity, earthy softness, this is a red wine you could drink without food, especially lightly chilled (although bear in mind it’s 14% alcohol). But it’s also very food-friendly.

Consider pan-fried duck breast with five-spice and an array of roast vegetables (one of the ways I tried it), or charcuterie, seared tuna, barbecued lamb chops, herby chicken, or pasta with pesto or tomato sauce. 14%. Empty bottle weight: 410g

Morandé One to One País Old Vines 2021, Maule Valley, Chile

£9 in any 6-bottle mix, or £10 single, Majestic

#wine #Chile #País #wineandfood #winepairing #red