It’s amazing that in just a few short years, Chile had
become the world's 10th largest wine exporter!
Here's a short story on Chile's wine.
Chile is the 4th biggest exporter of wine to the United
States. The country is very resourceful with
virtually all major varietals represented. The country produces its fair share
of white wine but Chile is probably most recognized for its assortment of
reds. In sheer volume, Cabernet Sauvignon is the country's bestseller, but
Chile is also known for producing some tasty, spicy, ripe stylistic Syrah as
well.
Chile's terroir is essentially textbook for wine production.
With its 800 miles of coastline cushioned between the Andes Mountains and the
Pacific Ocean it shields its grapevines from a lot of the vexations that plague
other wine regions of the world. The melting snow from the Andes flows into
Chile's wine-growing regions, providing vital irrigation in the face of a
relatively dry climate.
Chile has a number of winemaking regions, each unique. All
through the country, vineyards on the coastline benefit of the cooler temperatures
to produce the white wines, while those vineyards located inland hang on the
warmer weather to produce the reds.
The Casablanca Valley is essentially the main white wine
region in Chile. Located in the northern part of Chile and with its closeness
to the coast it’s the perfect climate for growing wine much of Chile's Chardonnay
and Sauvignon Blanc, along with other whites like Viognier and Riesling. Pinot
Noir, which is a red that really likes the cool weather is also grown
successfully in Casablanca.
Farther south and inland, you'll find the Maipo Valley,
which is the oldest winemaking region in Chile with over 30,000 acres of
vineyards. The Maipo Valley is the epicenter of
Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot production. The city of Santiago, is the
country's capital and it’s in heart of the Maipo Valley which makes for great for
traveling to this wine region.Below the Maipo Valley is the Rapel region, which is home to the Cachapoal and Colchagua valleys.
Rapel is also home to Apalta, probably Chile's most renowned
vineyard. This rich history, burly, rugged terrain and countless vineyards
located in close proximity to one another makes the area very popular for tourists.
This area is home to the Carmenere. This and a lot of other
varietals are produced here.
In a story that's being told over and over these days...for years, Chile produced enormous quantities of what was
thought to be Merlot; and basically all of this juice was sold inside the country,
which makes it all the fascinating. In the 1990s, a bunch of wine buffs
from France curious about the origins of the Chilean grapes, analyzed the grapes and were able to identify them as Carmenere, not
Merlot!
Once grown throughout France, Carmenere was all but
devastated due to the insect infestation in the 19th century which virtually
eliminated these vines. Fortunately the Spaniards brought trimmings to Chile back
then and now more than a hundred years later Carmenere has become Chile's
signature wine; along with it’s flavorsome hints of five spices, herbaceous pepper
and dark plums.…and what’s also interesting is that many of Chile's vineyards were started using vines imported from France; but that’s another story for another day.… Yep! most of the world has only recently discovered Chilean wine, but its wine production in the country dates back to the 16th century!
Here are some Chilean wines to seek that are making quality across their portfolio where the value wines provide some good juice plus a fine representation of their regions and varietals… and the higher end wines can get really classy and downright prized!
Concha Y Toro
Veramonte
Casa Lapostolle
Vina Montes
Vina san Pedro
Vina Santa Rita
Vina Almaviva
Errazuiz