
Chile
One of South America’s most important wine-producing countries ...
One of South America’s most important wine-producing countries, Chile is a reliable source of both budget-friendly wines and premium bottlings. Spanish settlers, Juan Jufre and Diego Garcia de Cáceres, most likely brought Vitis vinifera (Europe’s wine producing vine species) to the Central Valley of Chile some time in the 1550s. But Chile’s modern wine industry is largely the result of heavy investment from the 1990s.
Long and narrow, Chile is geographically isolated, bordered by the Pacific Ocean to the west, the Andes Mountains to the east and the Atacama desert to the north. These natural borders allowed Chile to avoid the disastrous phylloxera infestation in the late 1800s and as a result, vines are often planted on their own rootstock rather than grafted (as is the case in much of the wine producing world).
Chile’s vineyards vary widely in climate and soil type from north to south. The Coquimbo region in the far north contains the Elqui and Limari Valleys, where minimal rainfall and intense sunlight are offset by chilly breezes from the Humboldt Current. While historically focused solely on Pisco production, today this area finds success with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. The Aconcagua region contains the eponymous Aconcagua Valley—hot and dry and home to full-bodied red wines made from Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Merlot—as well as Casablanca Valley and San Antonio Valley, which focus on Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. The Central Valley is home to the Maipo, Rapel, Curicó and Maule Valleys, which produce a wide variety of red and white wines. Maipo in particular is known for Carmenère, Chile’s unofficial signature grape. In the up-and-coming southern regions of Bio Bio and Itata make excellent Riesling, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.
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Dallas Conte Cabernet Sauvignon 1999Cabernet Sauvignon from Chile
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Laurel Glen Terra Rosa Cabernet Sauvignon 1999Cabernet Sauvignon from Chile
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Concha y Toro Casillero Del Diablo Cabernet Sauvignon 1999Cabernet Sauvignon from Chile
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Errazuriz Wild Ferment Chardonnay 1999Chardonnay from Chile
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Lapostolle Cuvee Alexandre Chardonnay 1999Chardonnay from Chile
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Caliterra Cabernet Sauvignon 1999Cabernet Sauvignon from Chile
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Veramonte Cabernet Sauvignon 1999Cabernet Sauvignon from Chile
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Veramonte Merlot 1999Merlot from Chile
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Lapostolle Cuvee Alexandre Cabernet Sauvignon 1999Cabernet Sauvignon from Chile
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Concha y Toro Marques de Casa Concha Merlot 1999Merlot from Chile
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Concha y Toro Marques de Casa Concha Cabernet Sauvignon 1999Cabernet Sauvignon from Chile
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Terrunyo Cabernet Sauvignon 1999Cabernet Sauvignon from Chile
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Lapostolle Cuvee Alexandre Merlot 1999Merlot from Chile
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Almaviva Red 1999Bordeaux Red Blends from Chile
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Clos Apalta 1999Bordeaux Red Blends from Chile
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Clos Apalta 1999Bordeaux Red Blends from Chile
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Terrunyo Carmenere 1999Carmenere from Chile
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- RP
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