Southern region

The Southern Region includes three wine-producing sub regions: the Itata Valley, the Bío Bío Valley and the Malleco Valley. The region is primarily known for its mass-produced boxed Pais wine. Pais is a red wine grape that has played a prominent role in the Chilean wine industry. Up until the turn of the 21st century, it was Chile’s most planted variety until it was overtaken by Cabernet Sauvignon. It is believed to have been brought to the region by Spanish conquistadors from Peru during their colonisation of the continent in the 16th century and is thought to be a variety preferred by missionaries for ceremonial wine. Chile’s southern wine regions have more rainfall, lower average temperatures and fewer hours of sunlight than the northern wine regions. The soils are alluvial, made up of sand and clay and is located at a latitude of 36°S, a similar distance from the Equator as southern Spain or the central valley of California.

The Bío-Bío Valley is the most well-known sub-region of the South, located in the province of the same name, it has become known for its crisp, aromatic wines.

The Southern Region is located at a latitude of 36°S, similar to southern Spain and Monterrey in California with the majority of its vineyards lie between 50 and 200 metres above sea level with a moderate Mediterranean climate. It receives 1,275mm of rain per year, among the highest of all Chilean wine valleys, although winds prevent excessive humidity. For most of the 20th century, the main varieties grown in the Bío Bío valley were Muscat and Pais, but today, Pinot noir, Chardonnay, and Sauvignon Blanc are also grown throughout the valley.