New World
Chile wine
A long, narrow country with reliable growing conditions, and the place where Carmenère was rediscovered.
Overview
Chile’s geography — desert to the north, ocean to the west, Andes to the east — has historically kept phylloxera out, and a substantial proportion of Chilean vines are ungrafted as a result.
Carmenère, a Bordeaux variety that had nearly disappeared in France, was for many years grown in Chile under the impression that it was Merlot. It was identified as a distinct variety in the 1990s and has since become a Chilean signature.
The country’s modern quality shift has been driven by moving vineyards towards the coast and to higher ground, seeking cooler sites for Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Syrah.
Mediterranean overall, with cooling from the Pacific through coastal valleys and from the Andes at night. The Atacama Desert to the north and Antarctic waters to the west have historically limited phylloxera.
Regions
mediterranean · warm
Aconcagua Valley
A hot Andean valley north of Santiago, and the source of some of Chile’s most powerful Cabernet Sauvignon.
maritime · cool
Bío-Bío Valley
A cool, wet southern valley with a long history of País and a new one of Pinot Noir and Riesling.
mediterranean · warm
Cachapoal Valley
The northern half of the Rapel Valley, warm and sheltered, and a serious source of Carmenère.
cool · maritime
Casablanca Valley
A cool coastal valley producing Chile’s benchmark Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay.
mediterranean · warm
Colchagua Valley
A warm valley in the Rapel region, known for ripe Carmenère, Cabernet and Syrah.
high-altitude · warm
Elqui Valley
Chile’s northernmost wine valley, on the edge of the Atacama, where vines grow at 2,000 metres under the clearest skies on earth.
maritime · moderate
Itata Valley
Chile’s oldest wine region, home to old-vine País and Cinsault on granite soils.
cool · maritime
Limarí Valley
A far-northern coastal valley with limestone soils, producing mineral Chardonnay and cool-climate Syrah.
mediterranean · warm
Maipo Valley
Chile’s historic Cabernet Sauvignon heartland, just south of Santiago.
maritime · cool
Malleco Valley
Chile’s southernmost wine region, tiny and cold, planted almost as an experiment and now taken seriously.
mediterranean · moderate
Maule Valley
Chile’s largest wine region, and the home of very old dry-farmed bush-vine Carignan and País.
maritime · cool
San Antonio Valley
A cool coastal valley south of Casablanca, containing Leyda, and one of Chile’s most important recent discoveries.
Wines
Grapes grown here
Sources
Sources consulted
- Wines of Chile — Wines of Chile