first vine was brought to Chile by Spanish conquistadors in the middle of the 16th century.However, it was France that had the greatest influence on the formation of the Chilean wine industry.The country is best known for the complete absence of diseases of grapes, like mildew and phylloxera.Dry Chilean summer allows to grow exceptionally healthy crop.The most exported Chilean wine is a red aromatic Cabernet Sauvignon.
Regions and soil:
Aconcagua - the Most northerly of the Chilean wine regions, named after the river flowing here.It is located near Santiago and consists of two distinct parts.Aconcagua hinterland are the most dry and hot wine-growing regions in Chile.In summer, the temperature is kept at 30 degrees.Soils are mainly alluvial, and the region produces a good red wine.
Casablanca - the Most young and cool region of Chile, located on the coast near the port of Valparaiso.Officially, the region is part of the Aconcagua, but in reality is very different from its hinterland.The vineyards are cooled by morning mists (the result of a cold Pacific currents).Frequent Rain slows down the ripening of the grapes.The first vines were planted here in 1882, and by 1993 there were approximately 1,500 hectares of vineyards (mainly white Chardonnay).The real scourge of this region are the spring frosts.
Maipo - the most famous wine region, just south of Santiago.Vineyards occupy about 2,500 hectares and are divided in roughly equal proportions between the white and red grapes.Despite the fact that this region is one of the smallest on the number of products, the name of the Maipo is often found on the labels, because here are the headquarters of the largest wine companies.
Rapel - ya territory of the region there are about 7,000 hectares of vineyards, most of which produces red grapes.The region is officially divided into two subregions Cachapoal and Colchagua.Semillon and Cabernet Sauvignon - the most common grape varieties.Rapel known for its fragrant red wines from Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.
Maule - an important wine-growing region of Chile (24,000 hectares of vineyards), which includes sub-regions: Curico, Cauquenes, Linares, Lontue and Parral.Located in the far south of Santiago, the region is considered one of the coolest and cloud in Chile, due to the influence of the Pacific Ocean.White varieties of Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc and red Cabernet Sauvignon play an important role.
Types of wines:
wines exported by Chile, are usually very fragrant and clean, until the early 90's suffered from a lack of character.
it is known that the good character of wines is achieved only maintain low yields (which results in higher quality grapes) and / or wine aging in barrels.
Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot dominate the Chilean exports, and are very good red wines that are recommended to drink in 2-3 years.In recent years, an increasing number of wines that can withstand a long time in the bottle.It made a lot of good white wine made from Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc.
advantage of Chilean wines is the important fact that they are ready for use almost immediately after their production, that is, have a very bright, rich, sunny character with aromas of ripe berries, tropical fruits, honey-colored.
In Chile, there has always been a clear distinction between wines intended for export (these wines are hard to buy even in Santiago), and wine for home consumption, which are usually made from varieties Pais, Sultana and other table grapes.This is usually a light red wine sold in cans or bottles giant.
Articles Source: wineworld.ru
