14/05/2026
The "Lost Grape" of BordeauxThe history of Carmenère is one of the most famous mysteries in the world of wine.Extinction: Originally one of the original six red grapes of Bordeaux, France, Carmenère was thought to be extinct after the phylloxera plague wiped out European vineyards in the 1860s. The Chilean Mistake: Decades before the plague, Chilean winemakers had brought cuttings from France. For over 150 years, they grew these vines believing they were a strange, late-ripening version of Merlot (often called "Chilean Merlot"). The Rediscovery: It wasn't until 1994 that a French expert (Jean-Michel Boursiquot) realized these "Merlot" vines were actually the long-lost Carmenère. Chile had unknowingly become the only place on Earth where this ancient grape survived.
