Here in Canada, Chile is most famous for its wines – every wine shop has a selection on Chilean wines, mainly reds. While I do like wine, I’m not particularly a wine connoisseur, so I’ve pulled in someone who is – my dad! I’m in Vancouver right now, staying with my parents, so my dad went to JAK’s to pick some Chilean wines that we’ve never tried before.

Tarapacá Gran Reserva Carmenère – Tarapacá is one of Chile’s oldest still-producing wineries, with over 145 years active. They’re located in the Maipo valley, the heartland of Chile’s wine country. As for the taste, I found it’s big red, lots of berry notes and a bit of spice, but not chewy. My dad’s take: “Horrible bouquet but excellent taste, lots of tannins without being too heavy”.

Emiliana Adobe Chardonnay Reserva – I genuinely wasn’t aware that Chile made white wines, I’m so used to seeing rows and rows of red. I really like this one, since it tastes more like a sauvignon blanc than a chardonnay, with a tart green grape fruitiness. Dad was on the same page too: “good non-oak chard, has the nose of a New Zealand sauv blanc, grassy taste.” It’s from the Casablanca valley, near Valparaiso.

Undurraga Sibaris Gran Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon – Also from Maipo. Fruity red with a lot of tannin in the aftertaste. Dad’s take: “very light for a cab sauv”.