Chile

Chile

The Chilean coastline continues for almost 3000 miles up the western side of South America. The major winemaking areas are along a band almost 1000 miles long, with the major production around the capital city of Santiago.

Winemaking in Chile dates back to the 1500s when the conquering Spanish led by Cortez brought vinifera vines to the country. In the early 1800s a French monk, Claudio Gay, imported vinifera vines from Bordeaux and set a nursery. These vines not only became the basis for a lot of Chilean wine production, but cuttings were also sent back to france to help with post-phylloxera planting. Today, Chile is the one of the only winemaking countries to be free of Phylloxera. The Andes, Pacific Ocean, and altitude have helped to isolate Chile and create a unique environment where vines are grown on their original rootstocks. Chile has developed a reputation for producing excellent value wines produced from the Bordeaux varieties and the ex-Bordeaux grape Carmenère.

Recent investments from Bordeaux Chateaux, Italian powerhouses, and Spanish giants have elevated the winemaking to new heights.

The Elqui Valley is the one of Chile's most Northerly quality wine regions. Located in the larger Coquimbo D.O. the conditions are dry and desert-like, traditionally most of the wines produced in this region were distilled to make Pisco. This region has become a Mecca for travelers looking for enlightenment and spiritual answers; when the Earth's magnetic forces were measured by satellite in 1982 it was found that the greatest point of energy was located in the Elqui Valley. For the past 2000 years Earth's magnetic center was located in the Himalayas, in Tibet.

Recent investment in the region has started to produce excellent quality wines

  • Producers

Maipo Valley is probably Chile's most famous winemaking region. It has a warm climate and excels in growing Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Carmenère. The vineyards themselves are located over 1500 feet on the rocky alluvial soils at the base of the Andes. A benefit here is the diurnal shift created at this altitude, the vines ripen slower and have better acidic balance.

  • Producers

Casablanca has carved out a reputation for itself in a relatively short period of time. Originally this region was thought to be too cold for growing quality grapes. Fog sits on the vineyards in the morning adding moisture and cooling the grapes. The bright afternoon sun burns off the fog and allows for a slow even ripening of the grapes. Casablanca is most famous for its crisp, fruit dominated Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay.

  • Producers

The Rapel Valley is a sub region of Chile's famous Central Valley and lies south of Maipo. The northern part of the Rapel Valley is famous for the elegant red wines produced here, influenced by the cooler maritime air coming from the Pacific Ocean. The southern end of the valley is partially shielded from the Pacific Ocean and produces fuller bodied wines from Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, and, Carménère.

  • Producers

The Leyda Valley is a region within the cool San Antonio region. The Leyda Valley shares a lot in common with Casablanca to the north. Both are cooler climates and produce very fresh, crisp white wines. The vineyards are located a scant 6 miles from the Pacific coast and benefit from the cool maritime air. This region has only recently begun to be developed, and winemakers are looking to plant Pinot Noir as well as Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay.

  • Producers
close

Alto Sol

Two of South America's leading winemakers, Alvaro Espinoza and Juan Carlos Faúndez, are the force behind bottle Alto Sol. The Alto Sol selections are the collective result of days and hours of cellar tastings to choose top blends and the most expressive wines from Chile's finest winemaking regions. Running from the Andes Mountains in the east to the coast in the west, the Elqui River cuts a dramatic swath in this high, semi-desert landscape located 300 miles north of the country's capital, Santiago.

The 2008 Alto Sol Rosé Elqui Valley is a unique blend of 60% Carménère and 40% Syrah, aged completely in tank.

   

For winery & vineyard information, plus tasting notes, please see:

www.northberkeleyimports.com

close

Chono

Alvaro Espinoza is one of the premier organic winemakers in Chile today. The Chono winery was founded by Alvaro's father, also an award-winning enologist. This family bodega with less than 25 acres of vineyards sits in the central Maipo Valley, just outside of the Chilean capital of Santiago.

Here the soils are sandy and vineyards sit between 1,800 and 2,000 feet above sea level. Temperatures are warmer here than in more coastal areas, although the Andes mountains to the east play a large part in keeping temperatures moderate.

The Chono "San Lorenzo" is a special blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Carménère and Syrah from the Maipo Valley. Espinoza selects only the best barrels of the vintage for this blend, and ages the wine in French oak for approximately 10 months. It is bottled unfiltered.

   

For winery & vineyard information, plus tasting notes, please see:

www.northberkeleyimports.com

close

Clava

Clava is nestled in the country's coastal range of mountains called the Cordillera de la Costa. The vineyard soils reflect the gradual erosion of the mountains; topsoils are comprised of sand and red clay, while deeper down the mountains' core of granite and quartz rock gives wines great minerality.

Poorer soils combined with a maritime environment is the perfect recipe for cool-weather varietal wines. This is why Casablanca is Chile's best source for Sauvignon Blanc.

Harvests are always done by hand, and a strict selection is made before the grapes are pressed to ensure every berry is perfectly ripe. Wine is fermented primarily in stainless steel, with a very small percentage (usually less than 1%) in new French oak for added complexity and body.

   

For winery & vineyard information, plus tasting notes, please see:

www.northberkeleyimports.com

close

Cucao

The Cucao winery makes its home in the Casablanca Valley in Chile's coastal mountain range.

Named after a South American bird known to bring good luck, Cucao has all the advantages a winemaker could want for white grape varietals. The vineyard soils are a patchwork of soil from the erosion of the coastal mountains nearby. The topsoils are comprised of sand and brown clay, while the base consists of the mountains' own granite and quartz rock.

Lead by winemaker and biodynamic pioneer Alvaro Espinoza, the winery works with growers who either farm their higher-elevation vineyards (most around 1,200 feet above sea level) organically or as naturally as possible.

The Chardonnay selection from the Casablanca Valley is partially fermented per tradition in French oak for body and complexity; the rest is fermented in stainless-steel tanks to add freshness.

   

For winery & vineyard information, plus tasting notes, please see:

www.northberkeleyimports.com

close

Rayun

The Rapel Valley is increasingly known for its full-bodied red wines. Winemaker Alvaro Espinoza is Chile's leading organic winemaker and pioneer of natural winemaking. The Colchagua Valley in the larger Rapel Valley is where Espinoza sources his Syrah for both his bold, character-rich single-varietal wine, as well as his full-bodied rosé. Here warm temperatures, moderating sea breezes, and coastal mountains combine successfully to create a dynamic and sought-after terroir.

All of the Rayun wines are fermented in stainless steel to preserve freshness and a fruit-forward, approachable character.

   

For winery & vineyard information, plus tasting notes, please see:

www.northberkeleyimports.com

close

Viña Litoral

Viña Litoral is one of just a few pioneering estates in Leyda and is located just 6 miles front the Pacific coast. Water is scarce in the vineyards of Viña Litoral, the soils are poor, and the hills are steep and often swathed in a layer of fog. These misty mornings and steep hills combine to create a region where the temperatures rarely spike over 80 degrees and the growing season allows grapes to ripen longer and more evenly. The soils are a mix of clay and decomposed granite and are very poor, which helps keep yields low.

   

For winery & vineyard information, plus tasting notes, please see:

www.northberkeleyimports.com