Isacs is the founder and CEO of EnjoyGourmet, a leading gourmet digital (www.enjoygourmet.com.cn) and print media company in China. He has authored over a dozen wine and food books including the awarded ISACS Guides and other gourmet books and is a wine consultant to governments, wine regions and organizations. He also hosts wine events for leading organizations and companies throughout China. Contact John via jcolumn@enjoygourmet.com.

Last week in step with iDEAL’s feature story I examined the art of enjoying wine at home. In confluence with this week’s topic I thought it apropos to delve into the challenge of wining and dining out. The former usually being more difficult than the latter as price, quality and storage issues collude to make successful wine experiences far from certain.

Shanghai isn’t the only metropolis where restaurants sell ordinary wines at exorbitant prices. Taxes are only part of the problem, equally problematic is the industry mentality on marking up wine prices. One, two and even three hundred percent markups are the norm. As a result, most of the wines purchased at restaurants are not worth the price. Some establishments allow guests to bring their own bottle, which wine-wise, even including a reasonable corkage fee, is usually a far better deal.

Cost aside, there are other factors that conspire to compromise you a wining experience while eating out. Top Shanghai establishments have become quite good at serving and storing their wines, but they’re still the exception rather than the rule. Specialist wine bars may have a more limited food selection but normally their wine prices, selection and service are superior.

The aforementioned problems mean that savvy wine lovers when dining out in Shanghai need to pick wines that boast excellent price/quality ratios and aren’t overly sensitive to the environment. One of the best solutions comes from Chile.

Chile produces many good value wines as well as some premium and super premium wines. Readers already know that I’m a big fan of Chilean Carmenere reds and Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay whites, but I must admit that most of Chile’s best wines are still Cabernet Sauvignon reds from the Maipo Valley. I’m not alone in making this assessment.

Maipo Valley is situated southwest of the capital Santiago. In fact, a few of the region’s vineyards are even located within city limits. Vines were planted here as early as the 16th century but it wasn’t until the 19th century that winemaking took off. Several of Chile’s oldest and most famous wineries have their roots in Maipo Valley, including Santa Rita, Concho y Toro and Cousino Macul. The region is also home to a growing number of promising new wineries.

Maipo Valley has three major sub-regions: Alto Maipo, Central Maipo and Maipo Bajo. Alto Maipo is home to most of the region’s most acclaimed wines including Don Melchor, Almaviva and Vinedo Chadwick. The unique combination of high-altitude, 400-800-meter- high vineyards, well-draining rocky alluvial soil and sun result in a long slow ripening season that allows for wines of exception elegance and balance.

Central Maipo has lower-lying vineyards that experience higher temperatures. This area, while still quite suitable for Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot wines, is gradually making its best wines using the warmer varietals Carmenere and Syrah. The most sparsely planted sub-region Maipo Bajo has a more coastal climate with cool breezes from the Pacific Ocean that make it suitable for Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc whites.

Young Maipo Cabs typically offer aromas and flavors of dark berries, red fruit, plums, figs and as they mature develop intriguing notes of chocolate, coffee, tobacco and leather. Maipo Valley Cabs are also famous for their exotic sensations of eucalyptus and mint.

The robust flavors and concentration of these wines make them ideal partners to boldly flavored meat dishes. Should you visit Chile you may well enjoy a Maipo Cab with a traditional meat dish like BBQ steaks, lamb or goats, beef stew or, a personal favorite, the blood sausage referred to as prietas.

Maipo Cabernet Sauvignon wines also pair well with hearty Chinese meat dishes, including the Shanghai classic red sauce braised pork belly. The ripe dark and red fruit in the wines provides sensations of sweetness on the palate that dance harmoniously with the sweetness of the sauce. The fattiness of this dish also begs for soft tannins that Maipo Cabs have in abundance.

Another fine match for these wines is Cantonese-style roasted goose or pigeon as the spices used to dry marinate the birds are mirrored by aromatic spices in the wine.

Maipo Valley wines are available in Shanghai. On local restaurant wine lists, they are often among the best values. Proof of this are the fine wines of Vina Chocalan, a new winery founded in 1998. What this producer lacks in age, it more than compensates for in quality. Over the past few decades, the wines of Chocalan have won numerous international awards and when then US President Barack Obama visited Chile in 2011, the Chilean president treated him and wife Michelle to Vina Chocalan wines.

The Chocalan Origen Cabernet Sauvignon Gran Reserva wine offers an abundance of rich red and black fruit, chocolate, leather and spices that roar rather than whisper on the palate. The Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva is lighter but still well-made and the budget-friendly Chocalan Rose Reserva is a fresh, exuberant and robust rose wine that’s 80 percent Syrah and 20 percent Petit Verdot.

Other fine producers known for their excellent Maipo Valley Cabs are Concha y Toro, Santa Rita, MontGras, La Joya, Carmen, Miguel Torres and Baron Philippe de Rothschild. So be safe next time you dine out, buy a bottle Maipo Valley Cabernet Sauvignon!

Where to buy in Shanghai

Varieties: In terms of quality and quantity, Cabernet Sauvignon is unquestionably the king varietal of Maipo Valley, but good examples of Merlot, Syrah, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon are also produced.

Key term: Single variety wines of course mean wines made from one type of grape; however, in Chile and many other New World wine regions wines may comprise up to 15 percent of other varieties and still be labeled a single variety wine.