Saturday, August 4, 2012


7/13-  Global Exports

I just read about the wines and wildlife in Chile- of course I’m most excited about the wine;-) Malbec, Carmenere, Sauv Blanc, Merlot, Pinot Noir etc.- many of the flavors that many global palettes have become accustomed to in the United States and elsewhere.  It makes perfect sense that when the consumption of wine in Chile decreased since locals were enjoying a higher percentage of beers and cocktails- that they tailored the process of how they made Chilean wine for specific export to the US and UK.  They sweetened them up a bit and made them less tannic so that they would appeal to the Western palette.  It's very logical in the context of globalization and internationalization.  It seems inevitable that products that are shipped abroad would be edited for the foreign consumer.  Yet one could feel duped having thought they were getting the real Chilean wine experience outside of Chile!  

As far as wine and local cuisine is concerned,  I like that the Mapocho cuisine has made it back into mainstream and urban Chilean food.  Apparently, the indigenous flavors were considered unsophisticated by many of the urbanites but that approach left the food bland and unappetizing to the outside connoisseur.  The recent influx of these exquisite flavors has brought life back into urban food- along with the addition of high levels of sodium and sugar!


Traditional Grilled Corvina Fish with Sangria!

(Sasha Harrison, 2012)

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