Appellation · Chile
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.
Syrah that is dark, peppery and firm with unexpected acidity; taut, citrussy Sauvignon Blanc from the coastal end.
About Elqui Valley
Elqui is Chile’s northernmost wine region, on the southern edge of the Atacama Desert, and it was pisco country long before it made wine.
Its skies are so clear that several of the world’s major observatories are here, and the same conditions — intense sunlight, minimal cloud, very wide diurnal range — shape the wine.
Syrah grown at 2,000 m in the Andean foothills is the region’s signature: dark, peppery and surprisingly fresh given the latitude.
What the name means
- Legal name
- Valle del Elqui DO
- Type
- Geographical indication
- Set by
- Servicio Agrícola y Ganadero (SAG), Chile
- Recognised
- 1995
- Regulates
- Origin only. It sets no rules about varieties, yields, ageing or winemaking.
A nationally registered indication of origin outside the systems enumerated above. What it controls varies by jurisdiction and is recorded on the individual record.
Grapes
Wines from here
What to eat, and how to serve it
Derived from this region’s signature styles. Each is listed separately, because a region does not have one serving temperature.
Where to go next
Places worth trying if you like this one — neighbours, rivals, and the obvious step across.
- Limarí Valley — A far-northern coastal valley with limestone soils, producing mineral Chardonnay and cool-climate Syrah.
- Aconcagua Valley — A hot Andean valley north of Santiago, and the source of some of Chile’s most powerful Cabernet Sauvignon.
Sources
Sources consulted
- Wines of Chile — Wines of Chile