5 South American reds offer good taste at good value

Among inexpensive red wines, South America merlots and cabernet sauvignons continue to offer extraordinary values.

Land and labor costs always have allowed producers to keep their wines affordable.

More recently, French and American investors have taken modern winemaking techniques to the continent, and the winner has been the American consumer.

I asked the wine-tasting group to sample five South American reds in a blind tasting. Here is what we found:

- 2000 Aresti Reserve Merlot at $10.99. This wine had a complex aroma, with black currants, cedar, warm, fresh earth, and firewood. It showed dark fruit from nose to finish. In the mouth, we tasted plum jam and lots of alcohol. This was a robust wine, with lots of backbone, but it was rough around the edges. The Aresti finished third in our tasting.

- 2000 Concha y Toro Marques de Casa Concha Merlot at $13.99. This wine was full of big, jammy fruit, with a hint of menthol. It was better balanced than the Aresti. The Concha y Toro was elegant and full-bodied with a silky texture. This wine was voted first in our tasting.

- 2000 Caliterra Arboleda Cabernet Sauvignon at $16.99. This wine had a meaty aroma, backed by dry, briary fruit. It had more tannins than the others, typical of a cabernet sauvignon when compared with merlots. (Tannins are the chemicals in grapes that give wine structure. Too many young tannins can cause the mouth to pucker or be astringent.) This wine would go better with a steak.

- 2000 Santa Alicia Merlot at $7.99. This aroma was better than the taste in the mouth. It had an aroma of chocolate, plum and young fruit. It was not as complex on the palate. This finish was nice, though a bit tannic.

- 1999 Santa Ema Reserve Merlot at $10.99. The name of this wine, Santa Ema, was the favorite of the tasters. They also liked the aroma, full of sweet, white chocolate, cedar and cherries. The cedar and cherries carried through to the finish, which also showed a bit of tannins. The wine's elements, however, were not in complete harmony. My experts suggested that a chocolate dessert, such as a black forest cake, might calm down the wine. The Santa Ema finished second in our tasting.

Surfing the shelves:

- 2000 Lambert Ridge Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel at $24. This wine had a rich aroma, full of blackberry jam and spice. In the mouth, it had a medium-full body, supported by the influence of oak.

- 1999 Kenwood Merlot, Jack London Vineyards at $30. Fresh dark cherries dominated the aroma of this wine and followed through in the flavor. An earthiness in the aroma diminished in the mouth. The wine was full-bodied, lush and fruity with some tannins on the end.

- 1999 Francis Coppola Diamond Series Blue Label Merlot at $17.99. The aroma of this wine held the promise of fresh, ripe plum and blueberry flavors. In the mouth these flavors plus hints of spice and oak were delivered in this lush, smooth wine. This vintage did not live up to this series' previous year's efforts.

- 2000 Atlas Peak Reserve Sangiovese at $30. This grape that is mostly found in Chianti has been mastered by California's Atlas Peak. This was a full-bodied wine, full of leather, dark fruit and cigar aromas. Spicy fruit and a touch of oak appear on the palate. Serve with hearty Italian dishes or stews.

- 1997 Atlas Peak Consenso Cabernet Sauvignon at $30. From one of the best red wine years in recent California history, this wine has a touch of sangiovese and merlot to give this blend layers of flavor, including currants, black fruit, spice and oak.

Questions can be sent to Frank Sutherland, editor, The Tennessean, 1100 Broadway, Nashville, TN 37203 or e-mailed to editor