Chile Wine & Chile Wineries
Wineries in Chile
can be searched by clicking on a region in the Chile wine regions
map.
Over 120 Chile wineries are integrated into our winery directory,
and many wines
are available direct from the winery or from wine merchants.
You
can
buy Chile wine online from many Chile wineries or from
participating wine merchants. When you see a list of wineries, note the shopping cart icon as this indicates that you can buy this wine online. Also included on the search results page are other links about Chile wine. |
Chile has a wonderful climate for growing wine grapes. Located, west of the Andes, Chile's climate varies from the heat of the arid, rocky, mountainous desert to the north and the icy, cold, Antarctic expanse in the south. Chile's vineyards flourish in the warm, fertile valleys that are positioned between the two areas. Viticulture has been established in Chile for centuries and there are a wide selection of global wine varieties planted, including Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay and many more. Many of the wine grapes that were believed to be Merlot have recently been determined to be Carmenère, which is a scarcely planted variety of Bordeaux.
Many of Chilean vineyards are situated within the fertile basin, bordered by the Andes and a lower coastal mountain range that runs about 50 miles north of the capital Santiago to 250 miles south of the city. Around Santiago, where many of the vineyards are concentrated, the rainfall is very low and the melted snows of the Andes provide the important irrigation waters. Temperatures are curbed by the mountains and by the cool waters of the Pacific Ocean and even in the summer, rarely rise above 95° F. The vineyards are located in the Central Valley, a plateau, bounded by two mountain ranges and crossed by the rivers Maipo, Maule, Aconcagua, and others.
The wine regions of Chile include some sub regions. The northernmost region is Aconcagua, and due to its location, it is Chile's warmest region. The hot and dry conditions signify that there are some notable wineries here. In the intermediate region Panquehue, conditions are better, and some interesting wines are produced. Nearer to the coast is one of the cooler regions, Casablanca, where large plantings of white wine varieties, like Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc are grown.
The Central Valley, which produces the vast majority of wines, is, composed of four main sub regions. These wine regions are the Maipo, Rapel, Curico and Maule Valleys, each which has rivers that run west from the Andes to the ocean. Maipo is Chile's oldest wine region. Cabernet Sauvignon and other red wine varieties are favored by these sub regions. Maipo produces some very good wines. South of Maipo is Rapel with its sub regions of Cachapoal and Colchagua. There are some wines of interest produced here, and also further south at Maule. Maule is also subdivided with the most significant region being Curicó, which includes Lontue. Nearby is Chimbarongo, which produces some appealing Pinot Noir wines.
Aconagua | Casablanca | Maipo | Rapel | Curico | Maule | Itata | Bio Bio | Limari