Wine growing regions

Chile is a long, narrow country that is geographically and climatically dominated by the Andes to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Chile’s vineyards are found along a narrow 1300km stretch of land from the north to the south. The climate is varied with the northern regions being very hot and dry compared to the cooler, wetter regions in the south. In the Valle Central around the capital, Santiago, the climate is dry with an average of 380mm of rain and little risk of springtime frost. The proximity to the Andes creates a wide temperature variation between day and night. This cool drop in temperature is vital in maintaining the grapes’ acidity levels. Most of Chile’s wine regions are dependent on irrigation to sustain vineyards, getting the necessary water from melting snow caps in the Andes. Other factors include the Humboldt Current from the Pacific which can cover coastal vineyards with a blanket of cool air while in other areas, coastal mountains can create a rain shadow that keeps regions very dry. The vineyards of Chile fall between the latitudes of 32°S and 38°S which, in the Northern Hemisphere would be the equivalent of southern Spain and North Africa. However, the climate in Chile’s wine regions is much more temperate than those regions, comparing more closely to California and Bordeaux.

Wine laws are similar to those of the US with Geographical Indication being much of the regulation which offers no suggestion on quality. Like many other wine producing countries, there are better regions for growing grapes than others, but this is little help in knowing which producers make the best wine. However, there are aging requirements for wines labelled with other specific terms: for “Especial,” is two years with four years for “Reserva“, and a minimum of six years for “Gran Vino “.