The Beautiful South; Chile and Argentina

Nestling either side of the Andes Mountains are the two powerhouses of South American wine; Chile and Argentina. While their vineyards share this stunning backdrop, their histories and winemaking philosophies set them worlds apart.

Chile

Chile is blessed with the perfect grape growing environment and historic winemaking links with France. This tasting explores the promise of wine made from grapes grown in its warm, sunny Mediterranean climate combined with old-world winemaking expertise.

First we'll taste a a wine that delivers on the big, bold, fruity varietal charm of Chilean wine. Then we'll explore wines made with grapes grown in vineyards where the heat is tempered by sea breezes or by cool mountain air. In these cooler hot-spots, talented winemakers are making more premium wines with unrivalled elegance and finesse.

Last but not least, we raise our glasses to Carménère, Chile's accidental love affair and a grape that's blazing a trail with those in the know.

Argentina

Amidst a hotch potch of cultural influences and despite an extreme desert-like climate, Argentina is the rising star of South American wine driven by its relentless focus on the mighty Malbec grape

However there is more to expore in Argentina than just Malbec from Mendoza. Our exploration kicks off with Torrontes, a white grape variety that creates a highly aromatic wine despite being grown in some of the world's most extreme grape growing conditions.

The tasting concludes with a mini Malbec Masterclass in which we explore how this classic French grape has charmed a generation of wine drinkers with it's unique combination of big, bold flavours and easy, approachable style.

We'll also show you how Argentina uses its biggest natural asset, growing grapes at altitude, to help craft exciting premium wines with the structure and style to rival the world's finest.

All of our themed evening tastings include a tasting of six or seven specially selected wines plus water biscuits and a nibble of cheese and/or charcuterie chosen to pair with a couple of the wines.