What makes Chilean wine so good?
The history of Chile’s wine begins with the pais wine strain brough by the Franciscan congregation. It was mainly used to perform their mases in the mid fifteen hundreds. In the beginning the wine in Chile was of very low quality and not exported worldwide. It was in the 1980s that big international investors decided to come to Chile and finance the vineyards of Chile.
Chile’s vineyards are broad and diverse, much like the country’s geographical diversity. There are more that 140.000 hectares of wine making grape plantations. Which are divided in 15 valleys with 50 different vine strains. Its quality is related to its dry mediterranean climate in some places and to coastal humidity influence in others. Our long and thin country has many special climates and land for a broad spectrum of wine strains.
Santiago’s wine valleys
Close to the big capital of Chile you can visit many important valleys that are famous for its wines around the globe. The first valley is the Maipo Valley. It is in the southeast of Santiago and just a 45-minute drive away. It is known for being the first wine valley of Chile, due to Pedro de Valdivia the Spanish conqueror asked for the Spanish crown to bring vines to grow and make wine. Nowadays some very old vines exist till this day and make for some excellent award-winning red wines. One famous vineyard is Concha y Toro that has hundred-year-old vineyards. (Book a premium wine tour for the Don Melchor experience)
Another famous valley is the Casablanca Valley. It is located between the coastal mountains and the Pacific Ocean, in the valleys of Chile’s central area. Due to this coastal influence, the cold Humboldt ocean current and its fertile land the vineyards are famous for its refined white wines such as the Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc varieties. (Visit the Casablanca Casas del Bosque vinery in our tours).
The next big wine valley located just two hours from Santiago is the Colchagua Valley. It is considered one of the country’s most famous wine valleys. Today 70% of Chile’s award-winning wines are grown in this valley, specially Carmeneré which is Chile’s most famous wine. Due to the great amount of sunlight and the nice coastal winds, it is the best spot to grow and produce red wines. This valley is also famous for its wine tourism, where you can visit the Santa Cruz Vineyard which is one of the most emblematic in the area. A cable car takes you to the top of the Chaman Hill where you can see constellations at the observatory of the same name. (Enjoy a two-day tour at the Colchagua Valley).
Surely there are many other wine valleys of Chile that excel at wine making. The incredible and special climates of this thin and long country makes for extraordinary wines. But what truly makes Chile’s wines so good is the tradition and work behind each wine bottle that is made. Year of wine making, and a country’s tradition dedicated to agriculture is the perfect recipe for good wine.
If you want to visit any of these incredible wine valleys, contact Andes Explora here so that you can have your private tailor-made wine experience.