Montes Purple Angel

Is overindulgence in wine throwing your brain off kilter? Afraid you might have to put down the bottle for a while? Fear not, my kindred, ‘feng shui wine’ is here to save the day: you can rebalance your frazzled ch’i AND keep your glass charged thanks to the Montes Purple Angel from Chile’s Colchagua Valley.

This outstanding oak-aged red (a blend of 92% carménère and 8% petit verdot) is made by Aurelio Montes, a true boundary-pusher of the region who, among other eccentricities (he employs acrobats to pick grapes in one of his more hard-to-access vineyards), has introduced a feng shui system in his cellar. He also insists on playing Gregorian chant to his barrels. All true.

Maybe you’re not convinced about the relevance of ch’i and chanting in winemaking. In truth, neither am I. Thankfully you don’t have to be: his Purple Angel has a voluptuousness to soften the severest sceptic – or salve the sorest head. Dark, deep and long, it also has a pronounced acidity, and it’s brimming with flavour: ripe plum and blackberry, vanilla, liquorice, tobacco, eucalyptus, bay, chocolate, meat browning – you could spend all day picking them out. I don’t know much about yin and yang, but Mad Señor Montes has definitely made a harmonious blend.

Montes Purple Angel is priced at £32.50, available from Majestic. For more information on Montes Purple Angel, visit Monteswines.com

**Written by:** Darren Smith