Chile

Chile is an exciting place to be at the moment. Like lots of wine-growing areas, in its infancy pioneering wineries planted lots of different grape varieties. But now, as the wine industry in Chile begins to come of age, old wineries are replanting, as winemakers begin to understand what works best in each respective area.

A uniquely narrow piece of land, with the influence of the Andes and the Pacific Ocean resulting in greater east-west temperature variation than north-south, provides the backdrop for surprises, with new vineyard areas in the north stopping just short of the Atacama Desert in Elqui and Limari.

The consistency of Chilean wine comes from warm days and cool nights, little rainfall and lots of water from the Andes, encouraging healthy growing. But the excitement and real quality will come as winemakers understand their terroir and continue to establish the right grapes in the right place.