Cellar Tastings

The image of neatly lined rows of vines grown around a lovely, historic, Spanish style winery with the backdrop of the snow-capped Andes Mountains has got to be one of the most breathtaking snapshots of wine production in the world. Winemaking was indeed begun by the Spanish “Conquistadores” and clerics in the 16th century. However it was the French who had a greater influence on Chile’s wine industry. When the vine eating parasite “Phylloxera” created utter havoc in Europe’s vineyards in the 1800’s, French winemakers brought over vines from Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot to plant vineyards. Much like the rest of the “New World”, Chilean wines remained unknown to most of the world until the last 20, even 15 years. The Chilean wine industry has been phenomenally successful in a short amount of time, thanks to major quality improvements, investment, excellent growing conditions and an acquired reputation as a source of good-value, consistent wines.

Aconcagua Valley

The Aconcagua Valley lies North-west of Santiago, the Chilean capital city. This region includes the Calle Del Aconcagua, home to the famous, Errazuriz at Panquehue, and further west is the Casablanca Valley. Cabernet Sauvignon, Metlot, Chardonnay, and Sauvignon thrive in this cooler coastal climate giving great potential to the region for premier wines. Cool nights and a long growing season are well suited for the Bordeaux red varieties.

Best producers: Chadwick/Mondavi, Concha y Toro, Valle del Aconcagua, Errazuriz, Gracia, Sena (the high-end joint project of Mondavi and Errazuriz)

Casablanca Valley

Casablanca is a sub-region of the Aconcagua Valley, but has made quite a prestigious name for itself. Here, some of the best Chilean white wines are produced. The main vineyards of Casablanca were first planted in the early 1980s and the valley has a very cool climate benefiting from the coastal fog. The area has a drip irrigation system, which allows vintners to have better control over the ripening process. Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc seem to be the most successful varieties, but Gewürztraminer, Pinot Noir, and Merlot are producing some interesting wines. The quality of the wines is generally very good but the price is high. The drip irrigation systems are expensive to install and maintain, therefore transferring costs to the customer the wines become more expensive. The wines from the Casablanca valley, as with the rest of Chilean wines, still represent extremely good value for money.

Best Producers: Caliterra, Carmen, Casa Lapostolle, Concha y Toro, Errazuriz, Santa Rita, Veramonte, Villard Estate, and Vina Casablanca.

Central valley

Central is the heart of Chile’s wine industry. This large region encompasses the 4 exciting sub-regions of Maipo, Rapel, Curico, and Maule. Most large Chilean wine producers are located in this region. The distance between the sea and the Andean mountains creates an interesting tierra mix.

Central valley - Maipo

Maipo is considered the birthplace for Chilean wines. Chile’s first Vinifera vines were planted in the Maipo Valley. Today it is being pushed out by the expansion of Chile’s capital Santiago. The dominant varieties grown in this region include Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Merlot, and Sauvignon Blanc. Small amounts of Syrah and Mourvedre are grown here as well. The Vineyards closer to the Andes Mountains have a wider gap in temperature between day and night. This gives an interesting floral taste to the Cabernet wines, but can leave it lacking richness in some vintages. The ocean breeze and several cooler areas in this otherwise warm region create a perfect meso-climate for Cabernet Sauvignon. The wines tend to have a minty, smokey taste retained from the region.

Best Producers: Almaviva, Caliterra, Canepa, Carmen, Concha y Toro, Domaine Paul Bruno, Santa Carolina, Santa Rita, Tarapaca, and Quebrada de Machul

Central valley - Rapel

Rapel is an up and coming region with exciting red varieties. This region is split into two sub-regions including Valle de Colchagua to the south and Valle del Cachapoal in the north. In Valle de Colchagua Merlot, Carmenere (Chile’s signature grape), and Cabernet Sauvignon are the reigning varieties. Valle de Cachapoal is home to earlier ripening varieties namely, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. This region has a low altitude and flat fertile vineyards. The temperature ranges are moderate, unlike the extremes experience in other regions. This makes Rapel a superior region for large-scale production of wines. In the western part of Colchagua Valley high-quality, low-yielding hillside vineyards have recently been planted.

Best producers: Casa Lapostolle, Caliterra, Casa Silva, Bisquertt, Luis Felipe, Edwards, Vina Mont Gras, and Vina Montes.

Central valley - Curico

Near the town of Curico, 200 km south of Santiago lies a gem, first planted by Miguel Torres in 1979. Most of the larger, well known producers are located in this region. Here you will find Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay, and Sauvignon Blanc thriving on the ideal tierra. The regional climate does not favor any particular variety but its extreme daily temperature fluctuations provide for nice acidity. The extended growing season also gives the wines a strong fruit concentration, the emphasis of Chilean wine.

Best Producers: Aresti, Canepa, Echeverria, Montes, Miguel Torres, San Pedro, Valdivieso, Veramonte

Central valley - Maule

Maule is the southern tip of the Central Valley, where potential and experimentation run wild. This is the largest wine valley in all of Chile. Maule has extremely wet winters and dramatic daily weather fluctuations between day and night. In this southerly region frost can also be a major problem. White Varieties are widely planted as the region tends to be very cool, but through success with Merlot in the clay soil, this may change direction of production to include more red varieties. A local grape variety is still dominant here but recent introduction of major varieties have been planted.

Best Producers: J Bouchon, Carmen, Santa Rita, Terra Noble, Domaine Oriental