Wherever I travel, the second I step off a plane I am thinking about sparkling rosé. So it was with great pleasure that the first wine I encountered in Santiago (while on a trip sponsored by Wines of Chile) just happened to be that exact wine. Serendipity! Fate! Stars aligning! But this was no typical sparkling rosé. Miguel Torres, of the Torres winery in Spain, has also been involved in the Chilean wine industry since 1979. At the namesake winery in Chile, they have crafted a bottle of pink bubbles from a grape whose existence was unbeknownst to me: País. It is a grape with a long history in Chile, unfortunately toiling in obscurity to produce bulk wine. But fear not! The aforementioned sparkling rosé made from País, which you'll find under the name of Santa Digna Estelado Rosé, is no tutti-frutti concoction. It is seriously dry and savory, which you will realize as you savor every sip.
And while certainly pleasurable on its own, know that sparkling rosé is a fantastic partner with cured meats and sausages. Those bubbles cut through the fat, and some sparkling rosés have a nice herbal element to them that reminds me of fennel and other sausage-friendly, aromatic spices. If you want to have the two together, you can get a glass of Santa Digna Estelado Rosé at the Miguel Torres restaurant in Santiago. At this tapas-style spot, enjoy this Chilean sparkling rosé with the spicy chorizo that will most likely be set down beside your glass. And feat not the spice of the chorizo; this wine can handle the heat.
For your further País edification, below is a photo of some very old vines at J. Bouchon. Funny how something so gnarly-looking can become something so elegant. The Santa Digna Estelado rosé is definitely a liquid silk purse.
For another take on this Chilean sparkling rosé from a fellow blogger at the table, please peruse Gabe's View. And if you want to see how grapevine roots grow below the ground, check out another dispatch from Chile on jamesonfink.com.
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