The Chilean wine producer Casa Silva have long been involved in the game of polo. In Chile and Argentina, it’s not a game for the posh but a game that came from the long days of sitting in the saddle and working in the great outdoors.

I mention polo because I was at a lunch the other day with Casa Silva which featured a big polo match. The game was in the “wilds” of the Cotswolds and the wines were all from Casa Silva. Mario Pablo Silva currently heads the winery and his son is on the Chilean national polo team. Hence the reason we were at the polo match. A chance for Mario Pablo and his family to indulge their passion for polo as well as show off their wines.

Mario Pablo is actively involved in the production of the wine and he can tell you all you want to know about the history and current production. During lunch we were served a variety of their wines but the one that really stood out for me was their newest Sauvignon Blanc, the Cool Coast 2011.

The Cool Coast gets it name from the site of its vineyard in Paredones. Paredones is the newest cool climate region to be found by the Chileans and is the name of a town located between the famous premium producing region Apalta region and the Pacific coast. The area is heavily influenced by the cooling breezes of the Pacific. This is very evident in the sauvignon blanc which while being very dry and with a firm, mineral-driven palate still shows pineapple and citrus fruits. A lean and elegant wine, I found it hard to believe it was from Chile. Most Chilean sauvignon blancs have an exotic fruit note to them and can be quite round but this one was nothing of the sort.

An excellent example of the exciting wine making that is coming out of Chile. I expect we will be seeing more wines like this from Casa Silva and other Chilean producers in the future.

Cool Coast is available from Wine Rack and retails for around £13.99