Chile has been growing grapes for more than 500 years, but its renaissance today dates to the mid 1980s when contemporary yield techniques arrived in the country, including steel fermentation techniques. The country has since risen to come to be the ninth largest wine producer in the world and Chilean wine now has quite the reputation.
The country may have even been higher ranked if it weren’t for government restrictions settled on yield in the 1950s and the nationalization of wineries at one point. The preliminary wines exported in the 1980s were hardly whatever to write home about, but they were good sufficient to catch the concentration of some foreign investors, namely Robert Mondavi and Spain’s Miguel Torres, among others.
Wines
Part of the think why Chile is such a paradise for growing grapes is its climate, which offers hot sunny days and chilly nights. Rainfall is just sufficient and the cooling breezes help the grapes mature consistently.
The wines of Chile are full of fruit and are of extremely high quality. Even the lower price points deliver decent wines, including Concha y Toro, which many consumers may have seen on store shelves. Concha y Toro is no stranger to winemaking. It has been producing wines since 1883.
Cabernet Sauvignon grows extremely well in Chile and these wines are full bodied and deeply flavored. An old Bordeaux grape, Carmenere has come to be the signature wine of the country, much as Malbec has for Argentina. It has similar properties to Merlot, and the flavor is rich with strong tannin in the finish.
White wines are dominated by Chardonnay, which grows readily in the Casablanca and San Antonio Valleys. An ambitious replanting program has seen the introduction of Sauvignon Blanc. Some vintners are also experimenting with Riesling, Viognier and Gewurztraminer.
The main growing region in Chile is the southern half of the country, which is home to the arid Maipo Valley, which is Chile’s most supreme region, on a par with the Napa Valley in the U.S.
To the south is the Rapel Valley, which produces some terrifying full-bodied reds, including Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, which thrive in the hotter climes. You’ll also find the Maule Valley in this part of the country, which is Chile’s oldest wine growing region.
Chilean Wine History, Regions and Wines
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