Chilling out with Pisco and Empanadas

For a long time, nobody knew the real reason why the Merlot from Chile was so distinct. People attributed it to the usual things: climate, soil and water. It was only in 1994 that a French academic discovered the truth: many of the Merlot vineyards in Chile had another grape growing alongside, the Carmenere, whose plant is almost identical.

The Carmenere used to be grown centuries ago for the Bordeaux wines in France, but it was phased out when it became disease-prone. It was believed that the grape had vanished except for a few small pockets in France and Italy. But in fact the Carmenere had been planted abundantly in Chile by European colonisers in the 16th century and it thrived there, free from its enemies. Later generations, however, did not know the difference between Merlot and Carmenere which had been planted together in many places, because the fruits and leaves of the two plants are so alike. Almost half of a Chilean 'Merlot' was sometimes Carmenere, and that's why it tasted quite different from Merlots grown in other parts of the world. Today, the Carmenere and Merlot have been sorted out, although many Chilean Merlots still have some Carmenere blended into them in a legitimate proportion for them to be still called Merlots. The Carmenere itself is now virtually a native of Chile, because it is almost extinct elsewhere, and it is becoming a sought-after Chilean red wine in its own right, just as much as the Malbec of Argentina.

Chilean wines are not the only ones enjoying the best of both worlds; its cuisine too is Spanish with an indigenous Mapucho influence evident in many dishes and their ingredients. We got a taste of this on board the Esmeralda, a Chilean naval ship that docked at Mumbai in the course of a global tour to showcase their food and wine.

While chicken, pork and wheat were the Hispanic mainstays, maize, beans and chillies formed the basis for the local Mapucho food. The pastel de choclo (or chicken and sweetcorn pie) served on the Esmeralda was an illustration of how the two traditions came together. The lamb and cheese empanadas (we would call them kheema samosas) were crispy with a spicy filling, more Indian than Spanish. The seafood was more minimalistic, European style, but with a dash of local spice, like the merquen (a Chilean pepper spice) in the cerviche of salmon. Some of the starters were accompanied with a pebre sauce, which is a Chilean concoction of onion, garlic, coriander, and the hot Aji chilli mixed in olive oil. The desserts, on the other hand, seemed mostly European, a goat cheesecake with figs demanding a second helping.

To round it off with an unmistakable stamp of Chile, we tried the Pisco, which is a grape distillate that the Chileans mix into fruit cocktails. Perhaps if you visit Chile, you can also try the Chicha, a drink made by the Mapucho with grapes and apples. This thin sliver of a country, with the Pacific ocean on one side and the Andes mountain range on the other, has enough variety in its food and wine to keep you happily engrossed for a long time.