Anakena Merlot tasting by Matt Thompson

Chile was described to be as the most perfect wine growing country in the world due to its unique shape, altitude and position on the planet. I think I have tasted all the major grape varieties from all the major grape growing regions in Chile and nothing has really disappointed me.

This Anakena Merlot from the Rapel valley has a lot of competition as entry level Merlot’s are very popular. My first impression was of surprise - this wine had more weight then I was expecting . For the price I really was expecting something quite light weight, not the case. The tannins where soft as I would expect from merlot the fruit was fairly large and balanced with the acidity. As an example of entry level Chilean merlot I would say you can’t really complain at this wine, I have had a lot more expensive that haven’t been as good.

The best way I can describe this wine is that if you are going to a party and don’t know the persons taste in red wine take one of these as it will suit most tastes. Easy to drink on its own but with enough weight to bring out round the dining table.