The day before the recent Wine Bloggers Conference in Portland, Oregon, Colby and I had the pleasure to attend a culinary bus tour hosted by Wines of Chile. We boarded the Double Decker tour bus at the DoubleTree Portland and headed off for a wonderful afternoon enjoying Portland’s diverse food options paired with some wonderful Chilean wines.

As we boarded the bus, Master Sommelier Fred Dexheimer poured a lovely sparkling rosé for us to enjoy on our ride to the first stop.

2011 Miguel Torres Santa Digna Estelado Sparkling Rosé (Maule Valley, Chile): 100% País.
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $25

The first stop was at Andina in the Pearl District where we enjoyed amazing Peruvian food including grilled octopus paired with a Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir.

2011 Los Vascos Sauvignon Blanc (Casablanca Valley, Chile): 100% Sauvignon Blanc.
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 4 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $12-14

2009 Cono Sur 20 Barrels Pinot Noir (Casablanca Valley, Chile): 100% Pinot Noir.
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $25-30

Our next stop took us to Clyde Common, a restaurant that features both domestic and foreign cooking. We were treated to several delectable dishes including charred figs and pepper-cured duck bacon paired with a Merlot, Old Vine Carignan, and a red Bordeaux-style blend.

2010 Los Boldos Vielles Vignes Merlot (Cachapoal Valley, Chile): 100% Merlot.
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $20

2010 Odfjell Orzada Old Vine Carignan (Maule Valley, Chile): 100% Carignan.
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $18

2007 Santa Rita Triple C (Maipo Valley, Chile): 65% Cabernet Franc, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Carménère.
Quality: 4.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $40

“Wine pairing is as much about figuring out what doesn’t work as what does.” –Master Sommelier Fred Dexheimer

Our final stop took us to the home of Portland’s food cart revolution, Cartopia. There were a number of carts to choose from but Colby and I decided to try Perierra Crêperie. We were literally blown away by the fabulous gruyere sopressata basil and red pepper crepe. We enjoyed it with a Syrah, a red blend, and a Cabernet Sauvignon.

2010 Loma Larga Lomas de Valle Syrah (Casablanca Valley, Chile): 100% Syrah.
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $18

2011 MontGras Quatro (Colchagua Valley, Chile): 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Carmenère, 15% Malbec, 10% Syrah.
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $14-15

2008 Santa Rita Medalla Real Cabernet Sauvignon (Maipo Valley, Chile): 95% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Cabernet Franc.
Quality: 3.5 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Price: $18-20

Many thanks to Wines of Chile and Fred Dexheimer for putting on such an awesome culinary tour. While there were many very good Chilean wines, as you can see from the Quality ratings, our favorite was the 2007 Santa Rita Triple C. The thing that continues to amaze me about Chile is not only the quality of their wines but the outstanding value that they deliver. Eight out of the nine wines we had on this tour received a QPR rating of 5 bangs for your buck, while the ninth received a 4.

We would also easily recommend any of the three stops for amazing food the next time you find yourself in the Portland area. In fact, before the weekend was over, we returned to Cartopia for another yummy crepe at Perierra Crêperie.

Cheers and Bon Appétit!

(Photos by Andie Petkus Photography)

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