Showing posts with label Ecuadorian wine. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ecuadorian wine. Show all posts
Friday, April 13, 2012
A nice Meritage from Ecuador!
The fetching Mrs. Wine Guy and I have recently been in Quito, primarily to obtain certificados de censo and cedullas. We were partially succesful (Suzanne yes...Roger ooopsie) on that score.
If you're ever headed to Quito and looking for quality accommodations in the new town area, we heartily endorse the Hotel Sebastian! It's a quality facility at a more affordable (although not cheap) price than the Hilton a short distance away. Even if you don't stay there, take the time to dine out in their restaurant. The house wine at $4 per glass is Concha y Toro and the food quality, presentation and service was well, well above their price range!
On the wine front, The Wine Guy finally got to sample some wine from Chaupi Estancia, one of Ecuador's most established and successful wineries. I had heard about them well before my first visit to this country and had been anxious to sample some of their wine. They are located at a higher elevation in the Andes north of Quito. They are mostly renown for their white wines including a palomino fino type sherry which has earned accolades in international wine competition. THe Wine Guy, however, was impressed with their their red wine "Alyce" a meritage blend. Chaupi Estancia happens to be an international member of the Meritage Association which was found by California vintners to create a branded red wine blend somewhat comparable to French Bordeaux. The Alyce Meritage, in my opinion, ranks as the best red wine being produced in Ecuador and is retail priced in the $20-$25 range in Quito. We will be hunting for it in Cuenca and hope any of our friends will let us know if they spot it in our area. It is worth seeking out.
As always, Mrs. Wine Guy and I remain "juntos en el camino de la vida"! That's the name of our blog about our travels and decision to retire in another country. If you have interest, log onto www.togetherontheroadoflife.blogspot.com.
Take a little time out to enjoy life...sip one of your favorites today. Salute!
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
A first look at wine in the land south of zero!
After spending two weeks on the road visiting some places we've wanted to see, touching base with some old friends and spending time with family, we boarded a plane in Atlanta bound for Quito, Ecuador. From there, we flew to Ecuador's third largest city, Cuenca. This community of roughly half a million inhabitants is situated in Ecuador's south central Andes mountains at an elevation of about 9,000 feet.
Ecuador is definately not among the world's top wine producers nor among its greatest consumers. To the best of my knowledge, there's only three wineries in the entire country. Imports are dominated, as one might suspect, by brands from Chile and Argentina. However, because of the very import tariff assessed here on imported alcoholic beverages, many of the better known brands can be purchased for less in the U.S. than they can here. This high cost tends to keep wine consumption low even with a growing influx of expat north americans and europeans who tend be bigger wine consumers than the Ecuadorians.
On of the local producers has gotten around the high import tariffs by importing bulk grape juice and grape must from Argentina and Italy. La Tocana Cosmica Cia, located just north of Cuenca then ferments and bottles the juice here under the brand label "Conde de la Cruz". I've only had the opportunity so far to sample their vino tinto reserva especial. This is a fairly fruit forward, soft, only semi-dry, red blend that comes in at 11% alcohol. When you learn that some of their equipment, training and bulk supplies come from Cantina Cooperativa Riunite, you understand why the fruity characteristics of this blend hint of lamrusco without any frizzante. It is a simple, uncomplicated fruity wine but enjoyable and quite affordable at its less than $5.00 shelf price. This is a hot price in a market where most imports are priced 10 to 20% higher than they would be in the states. there are some bulk box wines from Chile that advantage the low cost of packaging along with utilization of second run juice to keep prices low. A little searching, though, and you can find some notable quality, though lesser known South American imports in the $10 to $12 range.
One of the highly positive notices I've made about wine here is that, with a couple of noticable exceptions, restaurant pricing typically stays much closer to retail (about 1.5x) as compared to the 2.5 to 3x pricing commonly experienced in the U.S. If you're visiting Ecuador, you may find yourself saying ouch when selecring a familiar favorite wine at a package store or supermarket, but giving a pleasant sigh of relief when ordering it from a wine list at a restaurant.
During our two month stay, I'm sure the fetching Mrs. Wine Guy and I will enjoy some new wines despite the pricing. I've alrady found and enjoyed a great Chilean carmenere that's simply unavailable back in the states (more about that in a future blog). I'm also sure she'll thank me for remembering to pack and carry a good Brunello for the trip.
Slainte!
Ecuador is definately not among the world's top wine producers nor among its greatest consumers. To the best of my knowledge, there's only three wineries in the entire country. Imports are dominated, as one might suspect, by brands from Chile and Argentina. However, because of the very import tariff assessed here on imported alcoholic beverages, many of the better known brands can be purchased for less in the U.S. than they can here. This high cost tends to keep wine consumption low even with a growing influx of expat north americans and europeans who tend be bigger wine consumers than the Ecuadorians.
On of the local producers has gotten around the high import tariffs by importing bulk grape juice and grape must from Argentina and Italy. La Tocana Cosmica Cia, located just north of Cuenca then ferments and bottles the juice here under the brand label "Conde de la Cruz". I've only had the opportunity so far to sample their vino tinto reserva especial. This is a fairly fruit forward, soft, only semi-dry, red blend that comes in at 11% alcohol. When you learn that some of their equipment, training and bulk supplies come from Cantina Cooperativa Riunite, you understand why the fruity characteristics of this blend hint of lamrusco without any frizzante. It is a simple, uncomplicated fruity wine but enjoyable and quite affordable at its less than $5.00 shelf price. This is a hot price in a market where most imports are priced 10 to 20% higher than they would be in the states. there are some bulk box wines from Chile that advantage the low cost of packaging along with utilization of second run juice to keep prices low. A little searching, though, and you can find some notable quality, though lesser known South American imports in the $10 to $12 range.
One of the highly positive notices I've made about wine here is that, with a couple of noticable exceptions, restaurant pricing typically stays much closer to retail (about 1.5x) as compared to the 2.5 to 3x pricing commonly experienced in the U.S. If you're visiting Ecuador, you may find yourself saying ouch when selecring a familiar favorite wine at a package store or supermarket, but giving a pleasant sigh of relief when ordering it from a wine list at a restaurant.
During our two month stay, I'm sure the fetching Mrs. Wine Guy and I will enjoy some new wines despite the pricing. I've alrady found and enjoyed a great Chilean carmenere that's simply unavailable back in the states (more about that in a future blog). I'm also sure she'll thank me for remembering to pack and carry a good Brunello for the trip.
Slainte!
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