Carmenere, Chile’s signature grape, was for many years mistaken for Merlot. Transplanted from Bordeaux in the mid-19th century, people assumed it was lookalike Merlot, its French cousin who it was interspersed with in the vineyards. Once it was identified as Carmenere in the mid-1990s and treated as such, it began to flourish. Carmenere ripens late, so winemakers began watching and picking it later than the other reds, allowing for full grape maturity (and none of that abrasive green character that Chilean wines were hallmarked with 15 years ago). Today, impressive winemakers are picking their Carmenere when it is just perfectly ripe, and not letting it sunbake on the vine, accumulating sugar and alcohol
