The Irish Times recently ran a consumer wine tasting with Carmen Wines, one of Ireland's favourite Chilean wine brands. On the night, guests in attendance got the chance to sample some of the best wines in Carmen's range, as well as meeting the winemaker, Sebastian Labbé who travelled from Chile for the event. Sebastian gave guests an unrivalled insight into Carmen's vineyards, the harvest and the history of Carmen, as well as bringing enthusiasts through tasting Carmen Gran Reserva Sauvignon Blanc 2011, Carmen Reserva Carmenère 2012 and Carmen Winemakers Reserve Carmenère Blend.
Carmen was founded in 1850 and was the first winery founded in Chile. With more than 160 years of experience and a wide variety of vineyards in the best wine growing areas of the country, Carmen produces a diverse range of premium wines that stand out and express the best of each grape variety according to its terroir. Carmen's consistency and quality is reflected in its commitment to finding the perfect conditions to achieve this.
What makes Carmen wines truly unique was the historic rediscovery of the Carmenère grape. For years, Carmenère was a grape variety thought to have been extinct after being infected by a plague in the mid-19th century. Once Carmenère was unearthed and re-discovered, where today it is still cultivated in the Nipa Arriba vineyard, Carmen became the driving force behind the development of Carmenère in Chile, launching its first bottle in 1996.
Before the tasting, Sebastian met with Irish Time wine correspondent John Wilson to talk about all things Carmen. Watch the video here to find out what they talked about.
For more on Carmen visit www.carmen.com or find Carmen on Facebook.