Elqui Valley: The northernmost wine region features clear skies and pure light at the southern edge of the Atacama Desert. The area has long been known for its table grapes, papayas, and other fruits, as well as Chile’s distilled spirit Pisco, but new vineyards explore the terrain from coast to high into the Andes—up to 2000 meters (6,500 feet) above sea level—for wine grapes with amazing results, especially with the attention-grabbing cool-climate Syrah. Hectares planted: 508
Limarí Valley: The Limarí Valley is both an old and new wine region. Vines were first planted in the mid-16th century, but new technology has led terroir-hunting winemakers to take a fresh look at this curious territory.The Pacific Ocean’s cooling Camanchaca fog rolls into the valley each morning, then retreats as the sun rises over the Andes and bathes the vines in afternoon sunlight. With less than 4 inches of rainfall per year, drip irrigation allows the vines to flourish as their roots dig deep into the mineral-rich soil. The combination creates fresh wines with a distinct mineral edge. Hectares planted: 1667
Choapa Valley: The Choapa Valley is located at Chile’s narrowest point, where there is no distinction between the Andes and the Coastal Mountains. This small valley consists of two sectors, Illapel and Salamanca. Neither have wineries in place as yet, but vineyards planted on rocky piedmont soils are producing limited quantities of high quality Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes with high acidity and low pH. Hectares planted: 134
Aconcagua Valley: At 22,828 feet (6,956 meters), Mt. Aconcagua, the highest mountain in the Americas, towers over the valley and its snow-capped peak lends beauty and essential water to the valley below. Red grapes have long grown in the interior, but new coastal plantations are proving the valley’s potential for white wines as well. Hectares planted: 1098
Casablanca Valley: A relative newcomer to winegrowing, the Casablanca Valley was first planted to vine in the mid-1980s. It quickly turned a page in Chile’s winemaking history. Chile’s first cool-climate coastal region soon turned out crisp, fresh wines that caught the world’s attention, and Chile’s search for new terroirs was on. Hectares planted: 3852
San Antonio Valley: Vineyards taunt the cold Pacific climate as they creep ever closer to its coast in this relatively new wine region. Vines bedeck the rolling hillsides as close as 2.5 miles (4 km) from the sea and test the mettle of strong-willed growers and pioneering winemakers. The work pays off with crisp, lean, mineral-fresh whites and spicy reds that increasingly turn heads.
San Antonio is a sub-region of the Aconcagua Valley and is divided into four sectors: Leyda, Lo Abarca, Rosario, and Malvilla. Hectares planted: 327
Maipo Valley: Vineyards stretch eastward from Santiago to the Andes and westward to the coast to form three distinct sectors of the Maipo Valley, best known for its well-balanced red wines. Alto Maipo ranges from 400 to 800 meters (roughly 1,300 to 2,600 feet) above sea level in the Andes Mountains, and produces some of Chile’s leading Cabernets. Central Maipo is one of the country’s oldest and most diverse productive regions, and Coastal Maipo—a relative newcomer—benefits from the cool maritime wind that slides over and between the Coastal Mountains. Hectares planted: 10,800
Cachapoal Valley: Just south of Santiago, the Rapel Valley is Chile’s agricultural heartland and further divided into two winegrowing sectors. Cachapoal, the northernmost, is known primarily for red grapes. Cachapoal Alto stretches eastward into the Andean foothills and produces elegant, well-balanced Cabernets and red blends. Farther west toward the Coastal Mountains, the Peumo sector receives just enough cool maritime influence to create a warm, but not hot climate ideal for the area’s renowned, full-bodied, fruit-forward Carmenere. Hectares planted: 10,889
Colchagua Valley: The southernmost portion of the Rapel Valley is one of Chile’s best known wine regions and has earned much applause for its full-bodied Cabernet, Carménère, Syrah, and Malbec, and its wines regularly appear high on the world’s lists of leading wines. The majority of the wineries are concentrated in the center of the valley, although new plantations climb hillsides and explore the western frontier toward the sea. Hectares planted: 23,368
Curicó Valley: We continue in the Central Valley to Curicó, where more than 30 varieties of wine grapes have grown since the mid-1800s, and winegrowing is its primary industry. Curicó’s modern winemaking history began when Spanish producer Miguel Torres began his first New World endeavor here in the 1970s and opened the doors to a wave of foreign investment in Chile’s New World wine paradise. Hectares planted: 19,091
Maule Valley: This traditional and long-overlooked wine valley—the largest and one of the oldest—has attracted renewed and much-deserved attention of late. Old-bush, dry-farmed vineyards that predate the memories of those who tend them now produce exciting, naturally balanced field blends of Carignan, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, and other yet to be identified varieties. Newer plantations include Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Carmenere with bright acidity and juicy fruit. Hectares planted: 31,483
Itata Valley: The northernmost sector of the 3-valley ‘Southern Region,’ Itata is no newcomer to wine. Some of the earliest vineyards were planted near the port city of Concepción during colonial times. Today the region features a blend of old and new as new vertically positioned vineyards spring up alongside the ancient bush vines, providing plenty of opportunity for exploration and growth. Hectares planted: 10,504
Bio Bio Valley: Warm days and cold nights make for a long ripening season, but the Bio Bio’s higher rainfall, strong winds, and broader extremes make for more challenging conditions than those of Chile’s more northerly regions. Winegrowing here requires more patience, skill, and nerve than in other valleys, but a daring few have taken the plunge and invested in new plantations of cool-climate varieties such as Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, and Pinot Noir. Early results show their efforts paying off in exciting wines with naturally fresh acidity. Hectares planted: 3,524
Malleco Valley: Malleco is currently Chile’s southernmost appellation, although experimental vineyards have been planted much further south in Osorno. The area has proven exceptional for Chardonnay and experimentation with Pinot Noir proves promising, although high rainfall and a shorter growing season make the area risky for most other varieties. Hectares planted: 17
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