Show Notes Wine of the Week Jan 10-16, 2012: La Chamiza Bonarda

When you drive through the streets of Mendoza Argentina there is a clear Italian influence on the architecture and cutlture. Many of the street names are Italian names which makes perfect sense when you consider that the majority of the immigrants that built Mendoza came from Italy in the 1860’s. A whole bunch came from the Marche region which is located on Italy’s East Coast.

With that pedigree it is not too hard to see how such a vibrant wine culture has developed in Mendoza and surrounding area. One of the many gifts bestowed upon the area were some grapes, namely Bonarda.

What?  You say... Bonarda, what the heck is Bonarda.

It is said that Bonarda has it’s home in the hills and valleys on the border between France and Italy and is known as Charbono in California. When speaking to those in the know in Argentina they can confirm that it is not Croatina which comes from Lombardy and is likely Bonarda Piedmontese.

In any case Bonarda, until recently replaced by Malbec, was the most widely planted grape in Argentina although you wouldn’t know it as it was used mostly for bulk table wines of varying qualities. Today, however, the new generation of wine maker’s is crafting varietal wines out of Bonarda that are wonderfully flavourful and rich. In fact on the buying trip I did last May, I tasted over 700 wines in 10 days and although there were numerous to die for Malbec’s, what really showed through was Bonarda’s.

By nature Bonarda lends itself to our palates. We tend to like the look of inky purple wines in the glass (downside is that it can leave a nasty stain and has a penchant for falling on white silk blouses, expensive white tailored shirts and of course, white carpet), it gives us a feeling of depth and mystery. Careful though as I find that there have been many times that I have spied a ‘black’ wine and laden it with great expectations only to be met with a thin, tannic, acidic purple stain on my teeth.

Anyway when it is short cropped the colour can be quite intense. The nose is often cherry, plum and bright berry, almost grapey which is good as that is what it often tastes like to.

The texture makes it perfect for pairing with lighter cuisine as Bonarda is naturally low in tannin but with moderate acidity (similar in many ways to Barbera). The mouthfeel is fresh and alive and the finish is juicy but not long. Your palate will never likely tire from too much alcohol or tannin on this wine.

I would happily pair this with pork, pizza, pasta, ham, roasted poultry, and cheeses like Gouda and Cheddar.

The only drawback to Bonarda in BC is that there really only a few available, so the full spectrum is not available to experiment with... allow I’m doing my part to change this.

Now about the La Chamiza Bonarda. La Chamiza sources their grapes from the Tupungato and Argrelo districts which are the same areas that luminary wineries like Catena source their grapes from. Bonarda is naturally late ripening so the best quality will come from regions that are warm, dry and have a long growing season. This describes Tupungato to a ‘T’.... pun intended.

You may remember La Chamiza from a few years back as they were in the BC market in a big, cheap way. La Chamiza is not a low end producer. They may low key, but they are not low end. So they pulled out of the market for a couple of years in the hopes of re-establishing themselves as a quality/value producer but not a cheap one.

If the Bonarda is an indication we will start to see some of the best options from this winery and region.

The nose is big cherry and bright berry, with hints of grape jelly. While the palate if full of rich juicy flavours and a hint of delicate purple flowers. The texture is bright and fresh due to the acidity, and the finish is nicely juicy thanks to the low tannins.

In relation to other wines in the $15 range I have to say that this really delivers,