WINES OF

The viticulture paradise

BY-Naren Negi

ABOUT CHILI

Chile officially the Republic of Chile is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far south.

CHILI ON WORLD MAP

HISTORY OF WINE MAKING IN CHILI

it was a time of missioners and conquistadores, who tried to provide the leading position of Spain in the countries of American continent. Conquistadores were the first who brought cuttings of grapes to Chile, they planted it near Santiago, because its climate was very close to their own. Conquistadores used wine for religion purposes but the first grape harvest in Chile was bigger that they expected, so they decided to use it in export.

In 1800 Chile’s wines became a serious competitor for Spanish ones, so Spain, which wanted to protect its native producers, provided big taxes and restrictions, also Spain decided to destroy many vineyards in Chile. It was unacceptable for Chilean people and they started to fight for their independence.

After that war became the period of immigration to the American continent from European one, due to that period French grapes sorts appeared in Chile.

1870 year is known in the wine making history as a start of Phylloxera disease but there isn’t any notes about Phylloxera in Chile’s wine history. It happened because nature isolation of this country (it is isolated in the north by deserts and from other sides by Pacific Ocean and Andes). So due to it wine making producers which were noble in the begging of wine history of Chile are also noble now.

In 1940’s the amount of people who drink chilean wine raised, that is why in 1980 Chilean government started the export of it again

WINE REGIONS OF CHILI

WINE REGIONS OF CHILIChile’s appellation system, known

as its Denomination of Origin (Denominación de Origen) or D.O. is divided as follows, from north to south

COQUIMBO ACONCAGUA CENTRAL VALLEY SOUTHERN REGION

COQUIMBO

SUB REGION: ELQUI LIMARI CHOAPA

ELQUI

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.

Pronunciation guide: EL-kee (Valley) and ko-KIM-bo (D.O.)

GRAPES VARIETALS IN ELQUI

Red- pinot noir, cabernet sauvignon, syrah, carmenereWhite- sangiovese, chardoney, sauvignon blanc

WINE PRODUCER IN ELQUI

Main Winery Cavas del Valle Falernia

LIMARI

Valley: LIMARÍ 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.

Pronunciation Guide: lee-ma-REE (Valley); ko-KIM-bo (D.O.)

GRAPES VARIETAL

Hectares planted: 1667 Hectares Planted Cabernet Sauvignon | 720 Merlot | 190 Carménère | 124 Syrah | 112 Chardonnay | 134

WINE PRODUCER OF LIMARI

Main Winery Casa Tamaya Familia Farr Francisco de

Aguirre Luis Soler Maycas del

Limari

Ocho Tierras Tabalí

VALLEY: CHOAPA 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.

Pronunciation Guide: cho-AH-pa (Valley); ko-KIM-bo (D.O.)

GRAPES VARIETAL IN CHOAPA

Total Hectares planted: 134 Hectares Planted Cabernet Sauvignon | 1 Syrah | 2

WINE BRANDS OF CHOAPA

ACONCAGUA

Sub-Region: Aconcagua Casablanca San Antonio

Zones: Leyda, Lo Abarca

ACONCAGUA Valley: ACONCAGUA

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.

Pronunciation Guide: ah-kohn-KAH-gwa (Valley & D.O.)

GRAPES VARIETAL IN ACONCAGUA

Total Hectares planted: 1098 Hectares Planted Cabernet Sauvignon | 475 Merlot | 157 Carménère | 67 Syrah | 94 Chardonnay | 39

WINE PRODUCER OF ACONCAGUA

Main Winery

Agustinos Errázuriz Mendoza San Esteban Von Siebenthal

CASABLANCAA 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.

Pronunciation Guide: ka-sa-BLAHN-ka (Valley); ah-kohn-KA-gwa (D.O.)

 

GRAPES VARIETAL IN CASABLANCA

BLACK Merlot Carménère Pinot Noir WHITE Sauvignon Blanc Chardonnay

WINE BRANDS OF CASABLANCA

Casas del Bosque Catrala Indómita Kingston Loma Larga Quintay Sotomayor Veramonte Villard Estate Viña Mar William Cole

SAN ANTONIO

Valley: SAN ANTONIO / LEYDA 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.

Pronunciation Guide: sahn ahn-TO-nee-o / LAY-da (Valley); ah-kohn-KA-gwa (D.O

SAN -ANTONIO VALLEY

GRAPES VARIETAL OF SAN-ANTONIO

RED Merlot Syrah Pinot Noir WHITE Sauvignon Blanc Chardonnay

MAIN WINERY

Amayna Casa Marin Garcés Silva Matetic

REGION: CENTRAL VALLEY

Sub-Region: MaipoSub-Region: RapelZone: CachapoalZone: ColchaguaSub-Region: CuricóSub-Region: Maule

MAIPO

Valley: MAIPO 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 Central Maipo Pacific Maipo Pronunciation Guide: MY-po (Valley); Central Valley (D.O.)

MAIPO VALLEY

GRAPES VARIETAL IN MAIPO

Total Hectares planted: 10,800 Hectares PlantedBLACK Cabernet Sauvignon | 6411 Merlot | 1168 Carménère | 548WHITE Syrah | 380 Sauvignon Blanc | 427 Chardonnay | 961

WINERY IN MAIPO Main Winery Almaviva Antiyal Aquitania Baron P. de Rothschild Canepa Cardonal Carmen Casa Rivas Casal de Gorchs Cavas del Maipo Ch. A. Valdivieso Chadwick Chiñigue Chocalán Concha y Toro

Cousiño Macul-Historic Cousiño Macul De Martino Domus Aurea Doña Javiera El Principal Hacienda Chada Haras de Pirque Huelquén Intriga Odfjell Vineyards Portal del Alto Pérez Cruz Quebrada de Macul

WINE BRAND OF MAIPO

RAPEL

Valley: CACHAPOAL 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.

Pronunciation : kah-cha-po-AL (Valley); ra-PEL Valley/ Central Valley (D.O.)

GTAPES VARIETAL IN CACHAPOAL

BLACK Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot Carménère Syrah WHITE Sauvignon Blanc Chardonnay

MAIN WINERY Altaïr Anakena Calyptra Camino Real Cantagua Casas del Toqui Château Los Boldos Gracia La Ronciere La Rosa Lagar de Bezana

Misiones de Rengo Morandé Porta San Isidro San Jose de Apalta Santa Monica Terraustral/

Dominica Torreon de Paredes Tuniche

COLCHAGUA

D.O.: Central Valley / Rapel Valley: COLCHAGUA 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.

Pronunciation Guide: kohl-CHA-gwa (Valley); ra-PEL Valley / Central Valley (D.O.)

COLCHAGUA VALLEY

GRAPES VARIETAL IN COLCHAGUA

BLACK Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot Carménère Syrah Malbec

WINERY IN COLCHAGUA VALLEY

Main Winery Apaltagua Bisquertt Caliterra Candelaria Cantaluna Cantera Casa Lapostolle Casa Silva Cono Sur El Huique Encierra Errázuriz Ovalle Estampa

Hacienda Araucano La Playa La Posada Las Niñas Laura Hartwig Los Vascos Luis Felipe Edwards Lurton Macaya MontGras Montes Neyen de Apalta Ninquén

WINERY IN COLCHAGUA VALLEY

Pérez León Ravanal S. Diego de

Punquillay Sangrial Santa Cruz Santa Helena Santa Laura Siegel

Terra Andina Terra Vid Todos Los Santos Ureta Viu Manent Viñedos Emiliana

WINE BRANDS OF COLCHAGUA

CURICO

D.O.: Central Valley Valley: CURICÓ 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.

Pronunciation Guide: kur-ee-KOH (Valley); Central Valley (D.O.)

CURICO VALLEY

GRAPES VARIETAL OF CURICO

Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot Carménère Sauvignon Blanc Chardonnay

MAIN WINERY OF CURICO

Main Winery A. Manuel Sta. María Alempué Alta Cima Andesterra Aresti Correa Albano Echeverria Inés Escobar Korta La Fortuna Las Pitras

Mario Edwards Miguel Torres Millamán Osvaldo Astaburuao Pirazzoli Requingua San Pedro Torrealba Valdivieso Vinos Los Robles  

WINE BRANDS OF CURICO

REGION: SOUTHERN REGION

Sub-Region: Itata Bío Bío Malleco

SUB REGION: MAULE

D.O.: Central Valley Valley: MAULE

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.

Pronunciation Guide: MOW-lay (Valley); Central Valley (D.O.)

MAULE VALLEY

GRAPES VARIETALS MAULE VALLEY

Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot Carménère Sauvignon Blanc Chardonnay

MAIN WINERY IN MAULE VALLEY

Main Winery Altos de Mujica Balduzzi Calina El Aromo Gillmore Estate Hugo Casanova J. Bouchon Lomas de Cauquenes Los Acantos Los Ganaderos

Martínez de Salinas O Fournier Reserva de Caliboro Rucahue Segú Sol de Chile Terranoble Valle Frío Viña Saavedra

WINE BRANDS OF MAULE

REGION: SOUTHERN REGIONS

Sub-Region: Itata Bío Bío

Malleco

D.O.: SOUTHERN REGION

Valley: ITATA 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.

Pronunciation Guide: ee-TAH-ta (Valley); Southern Region (D.O.)

GRAPES

Total hectares planted: 10,504 Hectares Planted Cabernet Sauvignon | 372 Sauvignon Blanc | 58 Chardonnay | 192 Moscatel de Alexandria | 5041

MAIN WINERY OF ITATA

Main Winery Casanueva Casas de Giner Del Alba Tierra y Fuego Viñedos del Larqui

D.O.: SOUTHERN REGIONS

Malleco 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.

Pronunciation Guide: mah-YAY-ko (Valley); Southern Region (D.O.)

GRAPES VARIETAL OF MALECO

Pinot Noir Chardonnay

WINE BRANDS OF MALECO

BIO-BIO VALLEY

D.O.: Southern Regions Bio Bio 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.

Pronunciation Guide: BEE-o BEE-o (Valley); Southern Region (D.O.)

BIO- BIO VALLEY

GRAPES VARIETAL OF BIO –BIO VALLEY

Cabernet Sauvignon Sauvignon Blanc Chardonnay Moscatel de Alexandria Riesling Gewürztraminer

WINERY IN BIO BIO VALLEY

Main Winery Agustinos Canata Veranda

THE ENDREFERENCE: www.winesofchili.org

Thanks google for making it easy.

NAREN NEGIRESTAURANT MANAGER

LOTUSLEAFS RESTAURANTNEW DELHI