The Wines of Chile

The wines of South America are known to be sources of value for wine consumers. As they become further engrained in their winemaking expertise, the wines are also proving to be world class.

Chile is a 2,700 hundred mile ribbon of land that is set between the Andes Mountains and the Pacific Ocean. With an average width of 110 miles you are never more than a two hour drive from the ocean. It is a dynamic area for grape growing with the frigid Pacific to the west sheltered by the snow capped Andes Mountains. To the north is the arid Atacama- the driest desert in the world, and to the south the ice flows of the Antarctica. The climate is Mediterranean with large temperature swings between the day and night, perfect for ripening grapes slowly, while maintaining acid levels.

One of the most unique facts about Chile is that phylloxera has never been present. Phylloxera devestated crops in Europe and the New World wine growing regions. The isolation of Chile is responsible for this and accounts for the amount of old vine vineyards in the region.

Chile is currently divided into 14 wine growing regions offering a diversity of altitude and soil types for  growing grapes.It's virtual lack of humidity and predominately sandy soils lessens the need for pesticides and fertilizers, so viticulture is naturally eco friendly.

The grapes are three quarter red varieties, with Cabernet Sauvignon being the most widely planted, accounting for more than 75% of vineyard land. Merlot is the next most popular, followed by Carmenere, Syrah, and Pinot Noir. With the white grapes Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc
 tied for second place of all grapes grown.

The good news is that the recent earthquakes left all of the vineyards mainly untouched, so rest assured you will be able to find plenty of wine from Chile in the years to come.