Chile

This long sliver of a country is located on the southwestern coast of South America, between the Andes and the Pacific Ocean.

The history of winemaking in Chile goes back to the Spanish missionaries in the 1550's, who planted vines for table and sacramental wines. In the 1800's, when Chile became independent of Spanish rule, the newly prosperous upper class begain to travel to Europe, and came to appreciate the fine French wines. By importing cuttings of vines from France, Chileans found that they could produce a superior class of wines. More recently, in the 1980's, Chile started modernizing it's wine production, upgrading older wineries, installing state of the art production facilities, and bringing in a new generation of winemakers. Chile now produces not only lower priced value wines, but also some very good, high quality wines.

The vineyards in Chile are located in the 600 mile long Central Valley, between the Andes and the coastal range. The coastal mountains intercept most of the precipitation from the Pacific, and the melting snow in the Andes provides plenty of water for the vineyards. The climate in the valley is Mediterranean, with summer temperatures between 59 and 86 degrees F (15 to 30 degrees C). The temperate latitude and the proximity of the Pacific Ocean provide a climate with warm sunny summers, and chilly night breezes from the coast.

Chile produces some wonderful Cabernet Sauvignons, and a consistently good Merlot. Other wines produced include Carmenere, an old French red wine variety, as well as Syrah, Chardonnay, and Sauvignon Blanc.

 

Featured South American Wine
	Zolo Merlot Buy Now! $11.99 This Merlot is the result of the combination of fruit coming from Argentina’s most prized high–elevation vineyards with our legendary attention to winemaking detail and innovation. This wine is elegant and supple. Plum and wild berry flavors complimented by vanilla and toasty oak. Buy Now! $11.99