History
The introduction of ''Vitis vinifera'' vines to Chile dates back to the 16th century, when Spanish conquistadors and20th century
Chile's export of wines to Argentina was hindered by the lack of efficient land transportation and several fears of war. The situation improved after the signing of theClimate and geography
Chile is a long, narrow country that is geographically and climatically dominated by theWine regions
Since December 1994, the Chilean wine-producing regions have been officially defined as follows, to help identify the different features of wines produced in different parts of Chile's variable geography. The Chilean ministry of agriculture redefined in a decree of May 2018 the zonal winegrowing structure:Atacama Region
Named after the Atacama Region administrative territory, this region is divided into two valleys,Coquimbo Region
The Coquimbo Region contains three wine-producing sub regions: Elqui, Limarí and Choapa, all are coterminous with the provinces of the same name. *The Elqui Valley is located north ofAconcagua Region
The administrative region of Valparaíso Region, Valparaíso contains two wine-producing subregions, the Aconcagua and Casablanca Valley, Casablanca valleys. The Aconcagua Valley is coterminous with the province of San Felipe de Aconcagua, San Felipe de Aconcagua Province while the Casablanca Valley is coterminous with the Communes of Chile, commune of that name. The Panquehue commune is also gradually developing a reputation for high quality wine production. * In the San Felipe de Aconcagua Province, Aconcagua Valley, snow melt from Aconcagua and the surrounding mountains is used to irrigate the vines. The small 1,098 hectare winegrowing area is well known for its red wines, which have earned international acclaim, with Vina Errázuriz's "Sena wine, Seña" placing ahead of both Château Lafite Rothschild, Château Lafite and Château Margaux in blind tasting held in Berlin in 2004, a milestone for the Chilean wine industry. Although the valley is primarily known for the red grapes grown in its interior, white grapes are also now being grown in new coastal plantations. * The Casablanca, Chile#Casablanca Valley wine region, Casablanca Valley takes its name from the Communes of Chile, commune where it is located, and stretches roughly east-west from eastern border of the Valparaíso province in the Valparaíso Region, Valparaíso region. Vines were first planted here in the mid-1980s during the revitalization of the Chilean wine industry and the area quickly became known for its white wines, most notably Sauvignon blanc and Chardonnay, as well as Pinot noir, which thrives in its cooler climate. Although the valley is located at 33°S, much closer to the Equator than any European vineyard, viticulture here is possible because of the cooling influence of the Pacific Ocean, in the shape of cool morning fog and greater cloud cover than is found elsewhere in the north of Chile. Free-draining clay and sandy soils, whilst good for viticulture, encourage nematodes, so grafting onto nematode-resistant rootstocks is common. * San Antonio Province#San Antonio Valley wine region, San Antonio Valley is a small wine region known for producing Pinot noir, Sauvignon blanc and Chardonnay. It is located very close to the sea around the city of San Antonio, Chile, south of the Casablanca, Chile#Casablanca Valley wine region, Casablanca Valley and only west ofCentral Valley Region
Southern Chile
Lying within the Ñuble Region, Ñuble and Bío Bío Region, Bío Bío Administrative Region, this area includes three wine-producing sub regions: the Itata River, Itata Valley, the Bío Bío Valley and the Malleco Valley. The region is primarily known for its mass-produced box wine, boxedViticulture
Chile's natural boundaries (Pacific Ocean, Andes Mountain,Winemaking
Chile has benefited from an influx of foreign investment and winemaking talent that began in the late 20th century. Flying winemakers introduced new technology and styles that helped Chilean wineries produce more internationally recognized wine styles. One such improvement was the use of oak. Historically Chilean winemakers had aged their wines in aging barrel, barrels made from Nothofagus alpina, rauli beechwood which imparted to the wine a unique taste that many international tasters found unpleasant. Gradually the wineries began to convert to French and American oak or stainless steel tanks for aging. Financial investment manifested in the form of European and American winemakers opening up their own wineries or collaborating with existing Chilean wineries to produce new brands. These include: *Robert Mondavi, collaboration with Viña Errázuriz to produce ''Sena (wine), Sena'' *Miguel A. Torres, Catalan winemaker opened Miguel Torres Chile in 1979 *Château Lafite Rothschild, collaboration with Los Vascos *Bruno Prats, Owner of Château Cos d'Estournel, and Paul Pontallier, technical director of Château Margaux, opened Domaine Paul Bruno *Château Mouton Rothschild, collaboration with Concha y Toro Winery to produce ''Almaviva''Wine laws
Chile's wine laws are more similar to the US American Viticultural Area, appellation system than to France's ''Appellation d'origine contrôlée'' that most of Europe has based their wine laws on. Chile's system went into effect in 1995 and established the boundaries of the country's wine regions and established regulations for wine labels. Regulations which in turn, caused mass rebellion and gave rise to the prominent revolutionists Theodore Puccio and Antonio Fráscala. There are no restrictions of List of grape varieties, grape varieties or viticultural practices. Varietal-labelled wines are required to contain at least 75% of the grape variety if it is to be consumed within Chile. Vintage-dated wines are also required to have at least 75% of grapes harvested in the named year. If it is to be exported, a varietal-labelled wine must contain 85% of the varietal listed on the label as well as at least 85% from the designated vintage year. Exported wines also have to meet minimum alcohol percentage requirements; white wines must reach a minimum level of 12% Alcohol by volume, ABV, while reds must reach a minimum level of 11.5% ABV. To list a particular wine region, 85% is also the minimum requirement of grapes that need to be from that region. Among several labeling terms used to add further definition to a wine's style, the term "Reserva Especial" has no legal definition or meaning.MacNeil MacNeil can have a number of different meanings and spellings: Clan MacNeil is a Scottish clan. Notable people * Al MacNeil (1935–2025), Canadian ice hockey player and coach * Angus MacNeil (born 1970), Scottish politician * Archibald Macne ...Grapes and wines
Merlot and Sauvignon blanc
In the late 20th century as Chilean wines became more popular, wine tasters around the world began to doubt the authenticity of wines labeled Merlot and Sauvignon blanc. The wines lack many of the characteristics and typicity of those grapes. Ampelographers began to study the vines and found that what was considered Merlot was actually the ancient Bordeaux wine grape Carménère that was thought to be extinct. The Sauvignon blanc vines were found to actually be Sauvignonasse, also known as Sauvignon vert, or a mutated Sauvignon blanc/Sémillon cross. In response to these discoveries several Chilean wineries began to import true Merlot and Sauvignon blanc cutting (plant), cuttings to where most bottles labeled Merlot and Sauvignon blanc from vintages in the 21st century are more likely to be those varieties.International competitions
Chilean wines have ranked very highly in Wine competition, international competitions. For example, in the Berlin Wine Tasting of 2004, 36 European experts blind tasted wines from two vintages each of eight top wines from France, Italy and Chile. The first and second place wines were two Cabernet-based reds from Chile: Viñedo Chadwick 2000 and Sena wine, Sena 2001. The Berlin Wine Tasting of 2005 held in Brazil featured five Chilean wines in the top seven. In the Tokyo Wine Tasting of 2006, Chilean wines won four of the top five rankings.See also
* Chilean wine routes * Winemaking * Agriculture in ChileReferences
External links