Cellar Notes

Wines from Chile

By Al Spoler,

Hugh Sisson

Published November 20, 2022 at 4:07 PM EST

(We re-visit the wines of Chile, for decades one of our favorite "exotic" locales for good deals in fine wine.)

Price key: $=less than $20 $$= $20-40 $$$=$40-60 $$$$=above $60

Quality key: * = decent wine ** = very good wine *** = superb wine ****= elite

VALUE = exceptional quality for the money

Prisma Sauvignon Blanc, Casablanca Valley, '21 *** $ SUPER VALUE

WINE OF THE WEEK (A sensational SB with complexity, depth of flavor)

Casa del Bosque Gran Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon, Maule Valley '19 **1/2 *

(Very good for a young cab, compact, refined flavors, richness and depth) VALUE

Santa Ema Reserve Merlot, Cachapoal Valley, '19 **1/2 * VALUE

(A very rich, luxurious merlot, spicy, plum-like and quite complex)

All of these wines can be purchased at Kenilworth Wine and Spirits.

Cellar Notes

Al Spoler

Al Spoler, well known to WYPR listeners as the wine-loving co-host of "Cellar Notes" has had a long-standing parallel interest in cooking as well. Al has said, the moment he started getting serious about Sunday night dinners was the same moment he started getting serious about wine. Over the years, he has benefited greatly from being a member of the Cork and Fork Society of Baltimore, a gentlemen's dining club that serves black tie meals cooked by the members themselves who are some of Baltimore's most accomplished amateur cooks.

See stories by Al Spoler

Hugh Sisson

As General Partner of Clipper City Brewing Company, L.P., Hugh J. Sisson is among Baltimore's premier authorities on craft brewing and a former manager of the state's first pub brewery, Sissons, located in Federal Hill. A fifth generation Baltimorean, Hugh has been involved in all aspects of craft brewing.

See stories by Hugh Sisson