Carmenère has a long history in Europe. While there is speculation that the Romans cultivated the grape, it is most famous for being one of Bordeaux's six original red varietals. As a member of the Cabernet family, winemakers used Carmenère for its plummy, concentrated, and floral flavors in good years, but it was eventually phased out due to low productivity in the damp, chilly Medoc. By the mid-19th century, Chilean winemakers imported vine cuttings from Bordeaux, and Carmenère found a new home in a drier, warmer climate. Initially, it was mistaken for Merlot as recently as 1994 and used as such by unsuspecting winemakers in their full-bodied, fruity wines. Today, Carmenère flourishes on thousands of hectares in Chile, plus some rare acreage in the US, Italy, Australia, and France.
