Viña Casa Silva 2009 Carmenère

A prize wining red wine from the Colchagua Valley in Chile, Viña Casa Silva 2009 is a robust, meaty wine with lots of red fruit flavour and tones of cedar wood and cloves. It is a very tannic and it is very strong in alcohol. It is full bodied and the concentrated taste lingers long on the palate. All of the ingredients are well integrated which indicates a good quality wine.

We drank half a bottle of this with some chicken and ham broth which was tomato based. The wine was not overpowered. In fact this wine would go well with something more powerful tasting such as a beef broth . And, the next time I try the wine I shall make a beef or lamb broth and add a couple of glasses.

For my taste the 2009 was not subtle enough and I found the taste and feel of the wine to be a little bit jammy and I struggled to drink even a quarter of a bottle. The wine should be kept for five years or more to allow the tannins to soften and the taste to become more mellow. It needs a little patience before drinking. This is a shame as most people will never keep this wine long enough for it to reach its true potential. I recommend this wine to anyone who is prepared to keep it for five or six years, even ten, and then drink it with a hearty meal.

Two Day Abstinence rule

Lo and behold the health authorities in England and Wales have advised people not to drink for at least two consecutive days per week. I have been practising this for 30 years or more whilst I have been on the road working on projects. The rest of my body may now be a bit squeaky but my liver is ok. This is sensible and credible advice. Of course it does not have to taken literally; when you are on holiday you can break the rule as long as you cut down the amount you drink on a daily basis.