LCBO Wine Find: CINSO Reserva Cinsault 2024

Cinsault is one of those grapes I keep in my back pocket. It's one I reach for when pairing a bevy of dishes, including seafood! It's usually giving and plush and medium bodied making it a delight with or without food. The Cinsault wines I have had in the past have all been from France; the Southern Rhône in blends, Lanquedoc in the shape of a rosé. So imagine my delight to see not only a grape we don't often see on LCBO shelves, but then to learn that this Cinsault isn't from France; it is, drumroll please, from Chile.

The CINSO Reserva Cinsault 2024 was rare enough that it belonged here on our wine find series. Let's go!

About the Producer, Luis Felipe Edwards

Before we get to the wine, a little about who made it.

Luis Felipe Edwards (LFE) is one of Chile's most respected family-run wineries, based in the Colchagua Valley. The story starts in 1976, when Luis Felipe Edwards Sr. bought the Fundo San José de Puquillay estate, a sixty-hectare property crafted into a horseshoe-shaped valley below the Andes. He began producing wine under his own name in the early 1990s, and today the winery is still run by the family - Edwards Sr., two of his sons, a daughter, and two sons-in-law all take an active role.

LFE has grown into the largest 100% family-owned wine company in Chile, with roughly 1,850 hectares of vineyards spread across Colchagua, Rapel, Leyda and Maule, and wines exported to more than 70 countries. They're also known for pushing into unconventional sites, including the LFE900 project, where vines are planted at nearly 3,000 feet on steep hilltop terrain, some of the highest vineyards in the country.

CINSO is LFE's approachable, everyday-drinking label, and it's a good showcase of what the winery does well.

About the CINSO Reserva Cinsault 2024

If you've never had Cinsault (say it "san-so") on its own, this is a great, low-stakes place to start.

It's a grape most people know only as a supporting player in blends in the Souther Rhône, but here it gets the whole stage, and it makes a case for itself.

The CINSO Reserva Cinsault 2024's ruby hue is accompanied by a red berry nose that won't let up. Raspberry, strawberry, and cranberry sing loudly on the nose along with light pomegranate. On the palate, it is medium bodied as expected, and those red berries persist. It's juicy and fruit-forward, with gentle tannins and enough acidity to keep it lively. As you go deeper on this wine, you start to pick up clove mid palate along with anise, backed by some minerality on the finish.

It's the kind of red that works slightly chilled, making it a nice bridge wine for people who usually reach for white or rosé but want to dip a toe into reds.

The bottom line is that this is an easy recommendation for someone who wants to explore beyond the usual Cabernet/Merlot lineup without overthinking it. This is a great grab for your next LCBO run.

The CINSO Reserva Cinsault 2024 can be found at the LCBO for only $16.95.