It is not always easy to come up with a topic each week, but with our planet’s annual production of approximately 31.2 billion bottles of wine, one might think that it is not a challenge.

Fortunately, a little light just came on and said to me, “How about those excellent value Chilean pinots?”

Even though crumpled stainless steel tanks littered the property and brick and masonry lay in the yard, the good folks at Undurraga found the time to take my wife and myself for a horse-and-carriage ride through their vineyards. You see, we had arrived only weeks after the 8.8 earthquake of February 27, 2010 had shifted one town ten feet westward, caused tidal waves and knocked out 93 per cent of the country’s power grid. Thirty-three million gallons of wine returned to the earth from whence it came.

It is not easy to produce a pinot noir that actually tastes like pinot noir for a mere $13.40, but Undurraga really does do this with their 2013 Aliwen Reserva, with fruit from their estates in Maipo, Codigua and Santa Ana. Aliwen is a tree that is sacred to the Mapucha indigenous inhabitants. The wine is bright and light in the glass and you can detect tobacco, black cherries and a slight earthiness, along with spice and smoke from the French and American barrels that it resides in before being bottled. If you are a pinot noir fan I feel that this would not disappoint as there is something about it that I truly appreciate.

Veramonte is a very modern winery that sits in the extreme eastern end of Casablanca Valley that is noted for the gentle Pacific breezes and early morning fog. These conditions are perfect for pinot noir that loves to shiver a bit and 2013 was actually the coolest vintage of the past ten. The grapes for the Veramonte Reserve Pinot Noir 2013 were harvested at night, a practice that ensures optimum balance in the fruit, and they were fermented in small, open tanks with native yeasts, a custom that ensures that the terroir, or unique character of the vineyard, is expressed fully. Raspberries, red cherries and plums truly reflect the character of this coastal vineyard and the finish is a seamless balance of acidity and firm minerality. $15.50

Ritual Pinot Noir 2013 Casablanca Valley has had some rather amazing reviews. James Suckling scores it 94/100 and says: “A dense and wonderfully long and silky pinot with strawberry, light hazelnut and hints of lemon peel. Full body, yet lively and wired.” Another site refers to strawberry, wild cherry, plum, raspberry, tea and a very good mouthfeel.

The Ritual programme is a project of well-known vintner Agustin Huneeus, owner of Veramonte. He has planted Dijon clones 115 and 777 (my favourite) in his quest to truly produce world-class pinot noir.

The winemaker is one of the world’s most respected, but I will decline to name him as “others” import a range of wines named after him. This wine is a beautifully elegant expression of what this grape can do. $21.75.

So if you are looking for a wine to match with pinot noir you must try duck, game birds, beef bourguignon, glazed ham, roasted chicken, pasta and many casseroles. A rule in our house is that pinot noir is a must with salmon or tuna, as the tannin structure of other reds such as cabernet sauvignon, Malbec and merlot do not react well with the oils in these fish and the result can be a metallic suggestion in the mouth. Pinot is perfect.

•This column is a paid for advertorial for Burrows Lightbourn Ltd. Michael Robinson is Director of Wine at Burrows Lightbourn Ltd. He can be contacted at mrobinson@bll.bm or 295-0176. Burrows Lightbourn has stores in Hamilton (Front Street East, 295-1554), Paget (Harbour Road, 236-0355) and St George’s (York Street, 297-0409). A selection of their wines, beers and spirits is available online at www.wineonline.bm.