Great Value Wines: 8 Cinsaults and Pais for under $30

There are probably no better grapes than cinsault and pais to best illustrate the essence of drinkability in Chilean wines. Their lighter color, clarity and primarily red and citrus fruit, often accompanied by a wild, peppery touch, are reminiscent of the beguilingly light yet intensely expressive reds made by Spanish producers like Envinate, Comando G and Terroir Al Limit. Chile’s pais and cinsault belong in the same league of excellence but offer even better value.

One notable characteristic of both pais and cinsault is their remarkable ability to express their unique terroirs, particularly in the hills of Itata, where the vineyards boast a granitic base. The result is intellectual wines that can be as terroir-specific as the pinot noir from Burgundy. Prominent winemakers like Leonardo Erazo and Pedro Parra, both of whom own their own vineyards, have a clear vision of the soil types they seek and the wines that can be crafted from them.

Parra, who is also a terroir consultant, emphasizes the importance of limiting the fruit and flesh of cinsault, finding finesse from silt, and gaining tension from quartz and iron in his exceptional “Miles” vineyard. He likens this specific terroir to Comando G’s Rumbo Al Norte vineyard, with the most complex soils among all of his crus. As a result, his “Miles” wine offering is often more well-rounded and a little fleshier with good depth. On the other hand, his “Newk” has more quartz and less silt, and is a sharper and more mineral wine, just like Comando G’s Tumba del Rey Moro.

For less than $30, you can find Parra’s “village” offering, the Pedro Parra y Familia Cinsault Valle de Itata Imaginador 2021, which captures Parra’s exciting endeavours in Guarilihue, Itata. The similarly priced A Los Viñateros Bravos Cinsault Valle de Itata Granítico 2022 is also a great buy. This wine comes from a parcel with deep granitic topsoils with a varying percentage of quartz amid the underlying granitic mother rocks. Erazo’s pais is equally captivating, with his A Los Viñateros Bravos País Valle de Itata Volcánico 2022 showing an ashy, wildly peppery profile, which is likely derived from soils rich in highly permeable, volcanic basaltic sand.

At Villa Taly, a family-run hostel and hotel near Guarilihue, there’s a sign that reads: “Menos bla bla, más glu glu” (“Talk less and drink more”), which perfectly captures the essence of the pais and cinsault from the south of Chile. The following eight curated wines, all for under $30, are compelling terroir expressions from the south that all represent great value and drinkability. They convey a singular message: cinsault and pais are exceptional conduits of terroir, and the best of them deliver wines that truly reflect their origin.

– Zekun Shuai, Senior Editor