One Hundred Years of Solitude and Carmenère
One Hundred Years of Solitude
Gabriel García Márquez, 1967
Carmenère
Central Valley, Chile
A grape once thought lost, for a novel where nothing stays lost for long.
Why it works
Carmenère has a story worthy of Macondo. It disappeared from Bordeaux in the 19th century and was presumed extinct, until it was rediscovered growing in Chilean vineyards in 1994, where it had long been mistaken for Merlot.
In the glass it is lush and generous — dark plum, roasted red pepper, a little smoky spice — a magical-realist red for a sprawling, multi-generational saga. It is also one of the best values in South American wine.
Also try
An Argentine Malbec for something rounder and fruitier.
In the same spirit
A Moveable Feast
Ernest Hemingway, 1964
Fleurie (Beaujolais cru)
Beaujolais, France
A café carafe of Paris, hungry and happy.
Rebecca
Daphne du Maurier, 1938
Crozes-Hermitage
Northern Rhône, France
Dark, peppery and a little haunted — like Manderley after midnight.