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The first time I heard about the lost grape, I was in the middle of the Atacama Desert in northern Chile – an otherworldly place of geysers, salt-encrusted lakes and gauchos trotting cattle down the dusty main street of San Pedro.

In other words, a weird week already, so why not finish it off with a strange wine? But as the waiter poured another glass of carmenere – a rich, smooth and smoky red that is leaner than your average shiraz – another question came to mind: How do you lose a grape like this?

Well, once upon a time, there were six noble grapes of Bordeaux, including the bold carmenere (which gets its name from the Spanish word carmin, or crimson). Then along came a pesky louse called phylloxera, which ravaged French vineyards in the late 1800s.

While the other nobles – cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, merlot, malbec and petit verdot – were revived by grafting vines onto phylloxera-resistant roots, France's cool, damp spring didn't agree with the finicky carmenere. It died on the vine and was presumed extinct.

But fast-forward to 1994, just as Chile's wine industry was booming. An expert in vine botany was checking the DNA of some of the country's merlot plantations, examining vines whose leaves and grapes seemed slightly different from conventional varieties … et voila!

Mixed in with the merlot – up to 50 per cent of the plantings – was the long-forgotten carmenere. It had survived in Chile's Mediterranean climate for more than 150 years after a jumble of merlot and carmenere clippings had been transported from France. And it has been so successful (as of last year, it took up 6,500 hectares) that it has become the country's signature grape.

Not to mention a perfectly worthy reason to visit Chile. In fact, although the 38,000 Canadians who came here last year mainly had Patagonian hiking, beaches and deserts on their agendas, wine tourism is on the rise as increasing numbers of carmeneres hit Canadian stores and Chile rakes in international awards. In 2005, the Colchagua Valley was chosen by Wine Enthusiast magazine as the “best wine region in the world” for the production of world-class reds.

QUALITY SHIPPING AND SIPPING Walled off by the Andes to the east, the Pacific Ocean to the west and deserts to the north, Chile's wine country is blessed with perfect, pest-free wine-growing microclimates.

The country first burst onto the wine scene in the 1980s with great-value cabernet sauvignon. But these days, vintners are pushing quality – competing against some of the best reds in the world. As of last July, export sales were up 27 per cent, exceeding $1-billion.

Chile's vineyards are also attracting wine investors from around the world. France's Lafite Rothschild and California's Robert Mondavi have stakes here. So does Ontario's Magnotta Winery, with more than double the acreage it has in Canada.

As for tourists? Poking around wineries here is not as easy as in other countries, as many require reservations for tours and tastings and some charge up to $40 a visit. But it's certainly worth the effort.

Some of the best-known carmeneres are born in the Colchagua Valley, a 11/2-hour drive through cactus-studded landscapes south of Santiago. There are 32 wineries in this region with half- and full-day tours, as well as a wine harvest festival every March. More than enough for oenophiles searching for premium quaffs.

GRAND CARMENERES My first stop is the Casa Lapostolle, run by the French folks who bring you Grand Marnier.

Built on a hillside, the winery was designed to look like a bird's nest, but it appears more like a contemporary interpretation of a wooden wine barrel, with sleek wooden fingers cradling a modern glass building.

Inside, my guide, Diego Urra, shows off state-of-the art winemaking (there are also state-of-the-art lunch options at the Clos Apalta guest house nearby). Then he takes me to the vineyard itself, which snakes back toward the snow-covered Andes.

Standing between two rows, he picks a leaf from each. “This is merlot,” he says, “and this is carmenere.” There is a marked difference in shape and even the grape bunches look different.

Still, carmenere was long thought to be a variety of merlot – and was harvested with it, even though it ripens a full three weeks later. Hence the green pepper taste that was once the hallmark of many Chilean merlots.

Sipping a velvet cabernet sauvignon, merlot and carmenere blend that is one of the country's iconic wines, Lapostolle winemaker Andre Leon is blunt about her country's drinking habits.

“Our wines were boring – it was tinto and blanco, that's all,” she says. “Even today, our domestic wine market is in nappies.”

Chile is primarily a beer- and pisco-drinking country. Local consumption of wine – an average of just 18 litres a year – is primarily concentrated on low-end products; 75 per cent of the country's wines are exported and it is hard to find wine stores with a good selection, even in the capital.

PLUMMY, PURPLE ANGEL Thus, my next visit to Montes.

This is a New Age, feng shui sort of winery. The entranceway was built over water and everything placed just so to help push the wines to excellence. Periodically, Bach's Passion is also played for the wines in the barrel room to inspire them toward fermented perfection. And once the bottles reach this heavenly state, they are painted with cherubs (including a sketch by gonzo artist Ralph Steadman on the Folly Syrah).

Some of these sips are made from only carmenere. Others, like the Purple Angel described by Wine Spectator as a wine with “plum, blackberry, sweet suave smoke and tobacco notes,” are “super carmeneres,” mixed with 8-per-cent petit verdot.

Mostly, carmenere is bottled as a single varietal, but winemakers are increasingly blending it with cabernet sauvignon and syrah. It goes especially well with lamb and duck. And because it's lighter than other reds, it can also be drunk before dinner or with appetizers.

The wine is also best when drunk young – which makes it perfect for tasting on the spot. Tours can include an informal picnic and tasting under the shade of a palapa tree overlooking the valley.

FUSSY AND FINE No matter how it is served, though, carmenere is a fussy grape to grow. Although its slow ripening is facilitated by Chile's hot climate, Dominic Harmsworth describes it as a “naughty adolescent.”

“You have to control it,” he says, “or it controls you.”

Casa Silva, where Harmsworth promotes the grape, certainly gives it a shot. Many of its vines were planted more than 90 years ago, carried from Bordeaux, pre-phylloxera. And Silva is recognized as a carmenere specialist, its reserva standing as an industry benchmark.

Perhaps the Old World approach is the secret to success. Founded in 1892, the estate is located on a ranch that has retained its colonial flavour – with whitewashed walls, red tile roofs and a veranda café set in a courtyard where you half-expect a leather-clad gaucho to ride in through the gate.

Tours also include a peek at a private polo pitch and rodeo stadium. In the old barrel room is a restaurant that serves contemporary Chilean cuisine with an emphasis on fish and local lamb and beef. And the old home on site includes sumptuous hacienda-style rooms.

Mind you, the real luxury in Chile's wine region is in the sipping. Harmsworth pours wine into the first of a sea of glasses before us, and the afternoon disappears into a haze of merlot, cabernet sauvignon, chardonnay, sauvignon blanc. And, most memorably, the distinct carmenere.

“A well-made carmenere,” Harmsworth says as he

raises his glass to the light, “tastes like a turbocharged merlot.”

PACK YOUR BAGS

Getting there

Lan Chile partners with American Airlines for daily flights from Canada to Santiago via Miami.Where to go

Many wineries in Chile require a reservation and have a charge for winery tours and tastings.

Casa Lapostolle Camino San Fernando a Pichilemu; Santa Cruz; 56 2 426 99 60; .

Montes Wines Parcela 15, Millahue de Apalta; Santa Cruz; 56 72 82 54 17; www.monteswines.com.

Casa Silva Casila 97, Hijuela Norte; San Fernando; 56 72 71 01 80; www.casasilva.cl.

Where to StayHotel Santa Cruz Plaza Plaza de Armas 286; Santa Cruz; 56 72 20 96 00; www.hotelsantacruzplaza.cl. Double rooms start at $240 a night.

Clos Apalta Lodge Rapel Valley, O'Higgins; 56 72 32 18 03; www.closapalta.cl. This lodge features a luxury guest house and four casitas overlooking the vineyards. Double rooms start at $511 (including breakfast).

Where to shop

El Mundo del Vinowww.elmundodelvino.cl. The best wine store in Santiago with several outlets around the city.

More information

For details on tours to Chile's wine region, visit Ruta del Vino's site at www.rutadelvino.cl/English/index_eng.html.

Special to The Globe and Mail