Wine regions of the world 9, Chile

Chilean wine is a New World wine region dating back to the 16th century when the Spanish conquistadors colonized the region. In recent years the number of wineries has grown from 12 in 1995 to over 70 in 2005. And now Chile is now the fifth largest exporter of wines in the world, and the ninth largest producer. It is said to be midway between that of California and France as far as the climate goes and has had an influx of investment in wine production. And now have a number of international awards and a very growing reputation for quality wines.

Now what is good about the area is its geography, and the way it affects the wine, or not as the case might be. With the Pacific Ocean to the west, Andes Mountain to the east , Atacama Desert to the north and Antarctica to the south it is relatively isolated from other parts of the world . It is a long, narrow country, and its vineyards fall in a 800 mile stretch of land from Atacama Region to the Bio-Bio Region in the south.

The climate is varied from the northern regions being very hot and dry compared to the cooler, wetter regions in the south. Around Santiago, the climate is dry with an average of 15 inches of rain  a year and little to no risk of springtime frost. The Andes help create a wide diurnal temperature variation between day and night time temperatures. This drop in temperature is vital in maintaining the grapes' acidity levels. That and long hours of sun during the day help in the growing of the vines. Many vineyards get their water from melting snow caps in the Andes. The vineyards of Chile fall between the latitudes of 32 and 38° s which, in the Northern Hemisphere would be the equivalent of southern Spain and North Africa. But the  climate is  temperate than those regions, more like California and Bordeaux. So what does this all mean , well it means that there is not much vintage variation due to the reliability of favourable weather. So the wine is good year after year as the weather is so predictable.

Also another reason for its geography playing such an interesting roll in the wine is that it has kept  the phylloxera louse at bay. Many of the Chilean vineyards do not have to graft their rootstock. So Chilean wineries have said that it is this purity of the vines that can be tasted in the wine. This and the investment  in the area has helped in making the wine produced in the area world class.  

There are over twenty grape varieties are grown in Chile, mainly Spanish and French varieties. For your r red wine varieties you have Merlot, Carménère, Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, Cabernet franc, Pinot noir, Syrah, Sangiovese, Barbera, Malbec, and Carignan. And for the white wine you have Chardonnay, Sauvignon blanc, Sauvignon vert, Sémillon, Riesling, Viognier, Torontel, Pedro Ximénez, Gewürztraminer and Muscat of Alexandria.

Like all new world wine producers that are looking at and constantly developing a distinct style producing  easy drinking wine with soft tannins and flavours. All the ones I have had have been fruity and full, but unfortunately I have not had that many.  So in short the wine should be reliable and what I have had so far this is true. Also due to its geography it is probably some of the most purest wine in the world.  I will have to put it on my list drink more Chilean wine.