Chilean wines did not come to the world until the 1990s, and they have attracted much attention and love because of their affordable quality and unique taste. Chilean varieties such as Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc are more cost-effective. Today's Chile is no longer a wine producer oriented solely on commercial value, it is accelerating and slowly becoming a diverse base for a rich grape variety and innovative winemaking techniques.
Today, the Wine Encyclopedia will take you to learn about Chilean wines and how to find good wines in Chilean appellations.
1. Chilean red wine
1. Carignan
Belle grapes are mostly produced in southern Chile, especially in Itata and Maule Valleys, which have been grown for more than 100 years. Belle wine has a refreshing taste, suitable acidity, good structure, and its acidity can greatly reduce the greasy feeling in meat, so it is very suitable for enjoying meat at barbecue parties. Another grape variety, Pais, is also from the Molay Valley, and the garay grapes are grown to give Pais wines a certain impetus and support. Guided by a number of small producers, Belle wines have only begun to take their own development route in recent years.
2. Chilean "Bordeaux" blend
Blending is no rules, to break the inertial thinking!
Chilean blends differ from Bordeaux and Tuscany in that Chile has no laws to prescribe grape varieties, but relies entirely on the experience and creativity of the winemakers. It can be said that Chilean wines are inherited from the Bordeaux region, but Chile is also trying to reshape the Bordeaux blend. Carménère, for example, although the Bordeaux region rarely grows this grape now, Chile has found a suitable way to make it. Chile's "Bordeaux" blend also includes Syrah, a higher proportion of Petit Verdot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, and the resulting taste is indescribably beautiful.
2. Chilean white wine
1. Pedro Ximenez
Like Sherry in Spain, Pedro Jimenez wines from northern Chile are sweet in taste, but the name sounds like a personal name at first glance, but it is indeed the name of a grape variety.
Pedro Jimenez grapes have a high sugar content and are suitable for making sherry and pisco brandy, but Pedro Jimenez grapes grown at high altitudes have a relatively low sugar content and high acidity, so the conditions are more suitable for making dry white wines. However, dry Pedro Jimenez wines are only common in Chile's Elqui Valley appellation, and almost none in other appellations.
2. Sauvignon Blanc
This grape variety is native to France and was brought to Chile in the late 1890s. It's incredible that the vineyards of Casa Silva, a silver winery in the Colchagua, still stand for more than a hundred years, and are still producing delicious wines! When it comes to Sauvignon Grey coming to Chile, it is often confused with Sauvignon Blanc. In fact, although grey Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc have similar acidity, grey Sauvignon has more aromatic substances, a more mellow body and a richer taste. At the same time, its yield is also very low, and the grape peel has a unique pink color, which is very cute, so if you like Sauvignon Blanc, you can try to taste the gray Sauvignon, I believe it will bring you a different feeling.
Third, learn from Chile's wine regions and find better wines
Chile has a total of 14 wine regions, from south to north, spanning nearly 1,000 miles, with a complex and diverse climate type. The differences in production intervals are huge, and the following ones will be introduced.
1. North
The Elqui and Limari valleys of northern Chile are typical arid regions with less than 25 millimeters of annual precipitation, less than the Gobi Dessert. At the same time, the temperature difference between day and night here reaches 16 degrees, which cannot be "matched" by any place on earth. In addition, Elki is special in that it has three different climatic zones:
(1) Coastal area: the morning fog is thick and the temperature change is small;
(2) Central Valley: the temperature changes greatly, that is, the temperature difference between day and night is large, and the sunshine time is as long as 330 days;
(3) Andean region: The vineyards are located at an altitude of 2133 meters above sea level.
Although located in the Atacama desert, where average annual precipitation does not reach less than 50 mm, the Elqui and Limari valleys are still considered cold climate regions, mainly due to their large temperature differences, due to the cold winds of the Pacific Ocean blowing from the Chilean coast and accompanied by morning mist, which helps to reduce the sun's roasting of grapes, making the valley cooler and more suitable for growing grapes. Northern Appellation Introduction:
(1) Elki Valley: Sauvignon Blanc with a slightly rich and sweet flavor;
(2) Limari Valley: fresh Chardonnay with mineral flavor, vibrant complex Syrah;
(3) Cliff Valley: There are no wineries and vineyards here, only Syrah grapes are grown.
2. Middle
The central region of Chile, which includes Aconcagua, Casablanca, San Antonio and Maipo, has a typical Mediterranean climate with hot, dry summers and mild and rainy winters. This climate is aided by cold winds from the Andes and the Peruvian cold current blowing from the Antarctic region across the coast, cooling what should have been a hot coast.
It is the heart of Chile's wine industry, home to all of Chile's major wine producers, wine-producing regions and vineyards. Introduction to the Central Appellation:
(1) Aconcagua: A mixture of Syrah and red;
(2) San Antonio (Leda area): there are vineyards closest to the ocean, producing Pinot Noir and Syrah;
(3) Casablanca: far from the sea, warmer than the Leda region, producing excellent Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc;
(4) Mapo Valley: rich in Cabernet Sauvignon;
(5) Cachapoal Valley :cool climate, producing soft and elegant Cabernet Sauvignon;
(6) Colchagua: Carmena wine;
(7) Curico Valley (Curico): located between the Andes Mountains and the Coast Mountains, the climate is warm, suitable for large-scale planting, grape varieties are diverse, rich in Cabernet Sauvignon;
(8) Maule Valley: The southernmost region of central China and one of the oldest wine regions in Chile, where Chile's first vineyards appeared in the late 16th century. The products are regal pearls, cabernet sauvignon with spicy herbal flavors and belle esqueurgy.
3. South
The main wine regions in southern Chile are itata, Malleco and Bio Bio, which are very different from the other regions of Chile, with rainy seasons all year round, annual precipitation of 1270 mm, and the soil is mainly volcanic rock. In the early 1990s, a winemaker in Chile believed that the southern part of Chile was cloudy and cool, and it was the ideal place to grow Chardonnay grapes, so the local government began experimenting with vineyard planting. Southern Appellation Introduction:
(1) Itata Valley: tradition of winemaking technology, lack of large-scale viticulture and advanced winemaking technology, rich in Cinsault, Pais and Muscat;
(2) Biobio Valley: there are few vineyards and wineries that produce Pinot Noir;
(3) Maleco Valley: Chile's "State of Oregon", rainy all year round, cool climate, less than 5 vineyards, producing Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.
Fourth, the development status of the wine industry in Chile
In Chile, seven major wine producers control the U.S. market for Chilean wines: Concha y Toro, San Pedro, Montes, Emiliana, Veramonte, Lapostolle and Santa Rita. Among them, dry dew wineries account for one-third of the Chilean wine market.
The impact of this "monopoly" extends to every aspect of the Chilean wine industry, from grape prices to grape varieties to the judgments of countries around the world about the development of the Chilean wine industry.
Fortunately, over the past 20 years, Chile has changed dramatically, with new wineries and regions, large and small, new grape varieties and cultivation techniques. With the progress of the times, the Chilean wine industry is also gradually developing and improving. Old Chile has disappeared into history, and a new Chile is approaching, ready to go deeper into the wine industry and try to create different flavors. Such a Chile, are you interested in exploring? (Translation/Wine Encyclopedia, Text/Wine Folly)
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