Chile has been for a long time known as the
best wine-growing country of the South American continent.
It is in the last century that Chile developed, under the French agronomist
influence, top-quality grape varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay,
Gewürztraminer, Malbec, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon.
And the recent introduction the Syrah variety is considered a success as
well.
These vines escaped the phylloxera European crisis of the XIXth century,in part by being
protected by the Andean mountains.
The Chilean vineyards are situated mainly in the central valley, at the foot of the Great
Cordillera, between Valparaiso to the north and Talca to the south on a mostly volcanic
soil. This region benefits from a favorable climate that is tempered by the influence of
the Humboldt's cold draft. The north coast of the country, between the desert of Atacama
and Coquimbo, provides sweet muscat wines. The south of Chile produces a table wine
reserved to the national consumption.
Chilean wines, especially red, are characterized by an authentic, good taste, despite
their stoutness. Best are guaranteed by an official regulation that ascribes them, after a
rigorous check, as "reservado" or "gran vino" on their labels.
The great Chilean wine grower "Undurraga",
created his winery at the end of the last century. His wines of the best quality are amply
exported in to 50 country on the five continents. Check his web site for more.
I want to present two Chilean wine web sites that have caught my attention.
Wines of Chile conceived by a Chilean,
Jorge Valdes, who lives in Meadville, Pennsylvania USA, and is a true Chilean wines lover.
This fine web site have many headings (The Wines, The Wineries, Wine Forum, Wine Links,
Chilean Wine in the News). He will soon add a Chilean wine producing map and a heading on
the history of the wine in this country.
Guia del Vino Chileno, exhaustive guide on Chilean
wines offers many headings (Wineries, Restaurants, Suppliers, Shops, Tourism,
Publications, Links, History, Maps, Grape Varieties, Department of studies). This guide is
in two language versions: Spanish and English. What a shame that some headings of the
English version are always ...in Spanish.
Wishing that this item have given you the desire to discover the Chilean wine, I wish you
a good wine tasting.
André Drobotoff' Around the World
of Wine
Argentina,
Australia, Black Sea,
Balkans, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Czech Republic, East
Mediterranean, Brazil, Peru, Uruguay, Mexico New Zealand, Romania, Slovakia, South Africa, USA, USA wine regions
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