Carmenère is a red grape from Bordeaux that is grown in Italy mainly in the northeast, in the Veneto, Trentino and Lombardy. It makes medium to full-bodied reds with dark berries, red pepper, herbs and spice, usually with soft tannins.
Carmenère was once common in Bordeaux but was nearly lost there after phylloxera. It is best known today in Chile, where it was long mistaken for Merlot. In northeast Italy the story is similar: much of what growers called "Cabernet Franc" or simply "Cabernet" turned out, when studied more closely in the 1990s, to be Carmenère. Since then a few producers have bottled it under its real name, and it is now recognised as a variety in its own right.
The grape needs a long, warm season to ripen; if picked early it can taste green and herbaceous.
Varietal Carmenère is often aged in oak and can keep for five to ten years. In blends with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot it adds colour, spice and a softer texture.
Start with a varietal Carmenère from the Colli Berici, then try a Bordeaux-style blend from Trentino or Franciacorta. Producers worth knowing include Inama, Tenuta San Leonardo, Ca' del Bosco, La Montecchia, Gianni Tessari and Giorgio Cecchetto.
Carmenère belongs to the same family as Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Read our best Veneto wines, the best Trentino-Alto Adige wines, or browse the grape varieties index.