Chile’s appellation system, known as
Denomination of Origin (Denominación de Origen) or D.O., is made up of four
major regions, from north to south: Coquimbo, Aconcagua, Central Valley and the
Southern Region. Each of these has several sub-regions, each with distinct
climatic features and terroir.
Elqui
Valley (D.O. Coquimbo)
Pronunciation guide: EL-kee (Valley) and
ko-KIM-bo (D.O.)
Chile’s most northern growing region,
vineyards here are planted up to 2,000 metres above sea level.
Hectares planted: 508
Main grapes*: cabernet sauvignon, chardonnay,
merlot, carmenère
What do astronomers and winegrowers have in
common? Clear skies and pure light. Elqui has both. Here at the southern edge
of the Atacama Desert, the sun works its magic on the grapes by day and the
stars dazzle by night. The area has long been known for its table
grapes, papayas, and other fruits, as well as Chile’s distilled spirit Pisco,
but new vineyards explore the terrain from coast to high into the Andes—up to
2000 meters (6,500 feet) above sea level—for wine grapes with amazing results,
especially with the attention-grabbing cool-climate Syrah.
This fog-shrouded region is a desert, with
just 100 millimetres of rainfall per year.
Hectares planted: 1,667
Main grapes: cabernet sauvignon, merlot, chardonnay,
carmenère
The Limarí Valley is both an old and new
wine region. Vines were first planted in the mid-16th century, but new
technology has led terroir-hunting winemakers to take a fresh look at this
curious territory.The Pacific Ocean’s cooling Camanchaca fog creeps into the
valley from the west each morning and retreats as the sun rises over the Andes
and bathes the vines in pure light in the afternoon. With less than 4 inches of
rainfall per year, drip irrigation allows the vines to flourish as their roots
dig deep into the mineral-rich soil. The combination creates fresh wines with a
distinct mineral edge.
This region spans the narrowest point in
Chile, and is divided into two sub-sectors: Illapel and Salamanca.
Hectares planted: 134
Main grapes: syrah, cabernet sauvignon
The Choapa Valley is located at Chile’s
narrowest point, where there is no distinction between the Andes and the Coastal
Mountains. This small valley consists of two sectors, Illapel and Salamanca.
Neither have wineries in place as yet, but vineyards planted on rocky piedmont
soils are producing limited quantities of high quality Syrah and Cabernet
Sauvignon grapes with high acidity and low pH.
This valley sits 80 kilometres north of
Santiago and is the last transversal (east-west) valley above the Central
Valley region, which runs north-south.
Hectares planted: 1,098
Main grapes: cabernet sauvignon, merlot, syrah,
carmenère
At 22,828 feet (6,956 meters), Mt.
Aconcagua, the highest mountain in the Americas, towers over the valley and its
snow-capped peak lends beauty and essential water to the valley below. Red
grapes have long grown in the interior, but new coastal plantations are proving
the valley’s potential for white wines as well.
Casablanca, first planted in the mid-1980s,
was Chile’s first cool-climate coastal growing region.
Hectares planted: 3,852
Main grapes: chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, merlot,
pinot noir
A relative newcomer to winegrowing, the
Casablanca Valley was first planted to vine in the mid-1980s. It quickly turned
a page in Chile’s winemaking history. Chile’s first cool-climate coastal region
soon turned out crisp, fresh wines that caught the world’s attention, and
Chile’s search for new terroirs was on.
Leyda is a zone in San Antonio, one of
Chile’s smallest viticultural areas. Vines here grow as close as four
kilometers from the sea.
Hectares planted: 327
Main grapes: chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, pinot
noir
Vineyards taunt the cold Pacific climate as
they creep ever closer to its coast in this relatively new wine region. Vines
bedeck the rolling hillsides as close as 2.5 miles (4 km) from the sea and test
the mettle of strong-willed growers and pioneering winemakers. The work pays
off with crisp, lean, mineral-fresh whites and spicy reds that increasingly
turn heads.
San Antonio is a sub-region of the
Aconcagua Valley and is divided into four sectors: Leyda, Lo Abarca, Rosario,
and Malvilla.
Maipo
Valley (D.O. Central Valley)
Pronunciation Guide: MY-po (Valley); Central
Valley (D.O.)
Nestled between the Andes and the Coastal mountains,
Maipo is one of Chile’s largest regions and is divided into three distinct
eastwest zones: Alto Maipo, Central Maipo and Pacific Maipo.
Hectares planted: 10,800
Main grapes: cabernet sauvignon, merlot, chardonnay,
carmenère
Vineyards stretch eastward from Santiago to
the Andes and westward to the coast to form three distinct sectors of the Maipo
Valley best known for its well-balanced red wines. Alto Maipo reaches into the
foothills and produces some of Chile’s leading Cabernets. Central Maipo is one
of the country’s oldest and most diverse productive regions, and Coastal
Maipo—a relative newcomer—benefits from the cool maritime influence that slides
over and between the Coastal Mountains.
Alto Maipo
Rising into the Andean foothills, the Alto
Maipo section ranges from 400 to 800 meters (roughly 1,300 to 2,600 feet) above
sea level and is highly influenced by the mountains themselves. The rising sun
must scale the Argentine side of the peaks before first morning light reaches
the vines on its western—Chilean—slopes. The afternoon sun warms the vineyards
and the cool mountains breezes that slide down the hillsides at night create a
broad oscillation between daytime and night-time temperatures, all of which
makes for dream-team of conditions for bold yet elegant red wines, especially
the regional star Cabernet Sauvignon.
Central Maipo
The rocky alluvial soils that border the
course of the Maipo River along its way from the Andes to the coast, red
varietals grow well and strong in this warm-but-not-hot region that spreads out
due south of Santiago. It sees less rainfall than its higher altitude neighbor
to the west.
Pacific Maipo
The relatively few vineyards found in the
vicinity of the Maipo River as it approaches the Coastal Range, southwest of
Santiago, tend to be tucked up against some of the smaller, low-lying hills
that rise between the Andes and the Coastal Range. This protects them from a
more direct maritime influence. This area is separated from the San Antonio
Region to the west by the political (rather than geographical) border that
divides the Metropolitan Region from the country’s V Region of Valparaíso.
Cachapoal
Valley (D.O. Central Valley/Rapel)
Pronunciation Guide: kah-cha-po-AL
(Valley); ra-PEL Valley/ Central Valley (D.O.)
One of two sub-appellations that make up
the Rapel region, Cachapoal is known primarily for red grapes.
Hectares planted: 10,889
Main grapes: cabernet sauvignon, merlot, carmenère,
sauvignon blanc
Just south of Santiago, the Rapel Valley is
Chile’s agricultural heartland and further divided into two winegrowing
sectors. Cachapoal, the northernmost, is known primarily for red grapes.
Cachapoal Alto stretches eastward into the Andean foothills and produces
elegant, well-balanced Cabernets and red blends. Farther west toward the
Coastal Mountains, the Peumo sector receives just enough cool maritime
influence to create a warm, but not hot climate ideal for the area’s renowned,
full-bodied, fruit-forward Carmenere.
Colchagua
Valley (D.O. Central Valley/Rapel)
Pronunciation Guide: kohl-CHA-gwa (Valley);
ra-PEL Valley / Central Valley (D.O.)
The larger, southern sub-appellation making
up the Rapel region, the majority of wineries are concentrated in the centre of
the valley.
Hectares planted: 23,368
Main grapes: cabernet sauvignon, merlot, carmenère,
syrah
The southernmost portion of the Rapel
Valley is one of Chile’s best known wine regions and has earned much applause
for its full-bodied Cabernet, Carménère, Syrah, and Malbec, and its wines
regularly appear high on the world’s lists of leading wines. The majority of
the wineries are concentrated in the center of the valley, although new
plantations climb hillsides and explore the western frontier toward the sea.
Curicó
Valley (D.O. Central Valley)
Pronunciation Guide: kur-ee-KOH (Valley);
Central Valley (D.O.)
Winegrowing is this region’s primary
industry, where more than 30 varieties of wine grapes have been planted since
the mid-1800s.
Hectares planted: 19,091
Main grapes: cabernet sauvignon, sauvignon blanc,
merlot, chardonnay
Diversity is king in Curicó, where more
than 30 varieties of wine grapes have grown since the mid-1800s, and
winegrowing is its primary industry.
Curicó’s modern winemaking history began
when Spanish producer Miguel Torres began his first New World endeavor here in
the 1970s and opened the doors to a wave of foreign investment in Chile’s New
World wine paradise.
Maule
Valley (D.O. Central Valley)
Pronunciation Guide: MOW-lay (Valley);
Central Valley (D.O.)
Maule is the largest, and one of the
oldest, wine growing regions in Chile. It is made up of three climatic zones:
coastal, mid-valley and mountain.
Hectares planted: 31,483
Main grapes: cabernet sauvignon, merlot, sauvignon
blanc, carmenère
This traditional and long overlooked wine
valley—the largest and one of the oldest—has attracted renewed and
much-deserved attention of late. Old-bush, dry-farmed vineyards that predate
the memories of those who tend them now produce exciting, naturally balanced
field blends of Carignan, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, and other yet to be
identified varieties. Newer plantations include Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and
Carmenere with bright acidity and juicy fruit.
Itata
Valley(D.O. Southern Region)
Pronunciation Guide: ee-TAH-ta (Valley);
Southern Region (D.O.)
A low coastal ridge protects the vineyards
from the cold Pacific winds and provides a sheltered lee side for the vines.
Hectares planted: 10,504
Main grapes: moscatel de alexandria, cabernet
sauvignon, chardonnay
The northernmost sector of the 3-valley
‘Southern Region,’ Itata is no newcomer to wine. Some of the earliest vineyards
were planted near the port city of Concepción during colonial times. Today the
region features a blend of old and new as new vertically positioned vineyards
spring up alongside the ancient bush vines, providing plenty of opportunity for
exploration and growth.
Bío
Bío Valley (D.O. Southern Region)
Pronunciation Guide: BEE-o BEE-o (Valley);
Southern Region (D.O.)
The region, with its cool, damp weather, is
becoming increasingly well known for organic wine growing practices.
Hectares planted: 3,524
Main grapes: moscatel de alexandria,
cabernet sauvignon, pinot noir, gewürztraminer
Warm days and cold nights make for a long
ripening season, but the Bio Bio’s higher rainfall, strong winds, and broader
extremes make for more challenging conditions than those of Chile’s more
northerly regions. Winegrowing here requires more patience, skill, and nerve
than in other valleys, but a daring few have taken the plunge and invested in
new plantations of cool-climate varieties such as Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay,
and Pinot Noir. Early results show their efforts paying off in exciting wines
with naturally fresh acidity.
Malleco
Valley (D.O. Southern Region)
Pronunciation Guide: mah-YAY-ko (Valley);
Southern Region (D.O.)
Low temperatures, high rainfall and risk of
spring and fall frosts means growing in this area can be challenging, but doing
so comes with major rewards.
Hectares planted: 17
Main grapes: chardonnay, pinot noir
Malleco is currently Chile’s southernmost
appellation, although experimental vineyards have been planted much further
south in Osorno. The area has proven exceptional for Chardonnay and
experimentation with Pinot Noir proves promising, although high rainfall and a
shorter growing season make the area risky for most other varieties.
I learn and taste so much at the Vancouver Playhouse International Wine Festival that I seldom miss it. It's one of the world's best festivals -- certainly Canada's.
