Wine of the week: Copa Del Rey, 2008 Rapel Valley Chile Chardonnay

<p>Copa Del Rey, in Spanish, means the “Cup of the King.”</p><p>Who knew that our wine of the week — the Copa Del Rey, 2008 Rapel Valley Chile Chardonnay — was royal?</p><p>Juan Jose Verdina is the winemaker behind the brand which is harvested, fermented and bottled in Chile before Hahn Winery in Soledad transports it back to California. Verdina, who lives in Monterey, travels to Chile three to four times a year to oversee the brand.</p><p>When Verdina first came to California in 2002, it was a bit of a culture shock.</p><p>“In Chile, we have super traditional winemaking, the European style,” he said. “I came to California and people are open to different technology, toys and tools. I really like that, but in the beginning I was resisting it.”</p><p>Today, Verdina blends the Old World and New World winemaking in Copa Del Rey by producing a wine that is both crisp and fruit forward.</p><p>“In California, chardonnays are sometimes over-oaked from my point of view,” he said. “So what I try to do is have some French oak but still have plenty of fruit expression.”</p><p>The wine, with 13.9 percent alcohol, is priced at $12, a price point feasible because of less expensive grapes and less expensive labor in Chile.</p><p>Verdina was an intern at Hahn Winery in 2002 and was invited back to join the winemaking team in 2003. In 2006, he became the winemaker of Copa.</p><p>Verdina said he became a winemaker because he's an artist.</p><p>“I can put my feelings and passion into the wines,” he said. “I like to show my (wine) art to the world. Art for me is making wine with grapes and working with life.</p><p>“I call the grapes my babies. Once you harvest them, then you really have to take care of them.”</p><p>Staff writer Peg Melnik can be reached at 521-5310 or peg.melnik@ pressdemocrat.com.</p>