Chile

With a climate that is tempered by the Pacific Ocean’s Humboldt Current (which starts in Antarctica) on one side and the majestic Andes Mountains on the other, the wine regions of Chile produce world class wines. Regions stretch from the country’s far north at the Elqui Valley to the south at the Malleco Valley, with Aconcagua, Casablanca, Maipo, Colchagua, and Curico being the best known. The wine areas of Chile are planted to many of the international varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Malbec, Chardonnay and Riesling, with the old-Bordeaux variety, Carménère, being particularly successful for the country.

• Key Varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Carménère, Chardonnay, Malbec, Merlot, and Syrah.
• Climate: Varies from cool and wet to dry and hot, depending on the region.
• Soil: Varies from granite, schist and slate in the west, to clay, loam, sand and silt in the centre, to colluvial in the east.
• Did You Know: In the north of Chile, vines are grown as high as 3,500 m above sea level.