The Chilean Food and Beverages Industry:
WINE
With a history spanning 450 years, Chile is one of the New World’s oldest wine producers. In fact, Chilean wine production precedes California’s by more than 200 years and Australia’s by nearly 300 years. Spanish conquistadors and the missionaries who accompanied them throughout Latin America brought the first wine grapes vines to the New Word in the 16th Century and embarked upon a project to find the most suitable land to plant them.
Vast areas of Chile are planted in premium grape stock introduced in the 19th Century, prior to the worldwide devastation caused by the phylloxera blight. This unblemished stock helped other wine regions recover and thus became a national and international asset.
Chile’s Mediterranean climate proved ideal for wine production. The long, dry summers with high luminosity and relatively mild temperatures ensure that the grapes easily reach maturity without danger of bunch rot or botrytis. The cold, rainy winters replenish water. In this Mediterranean climate, characterized by a dry season that can last up to seven months and long hours of intense sunshine, the process of photosynthesis is favored during daytime and gets a needed rest at night. The fluctuation in temperature between night and day also has beneficial effects on production. The climate is also directly influenced by the Humboldt Current, which brings cold waters from the South, causing cold sea air to blow inland and maintain temperatures cool and relatively constant. Chile’s unique geography clearly plays a significant role in its wine production.
Chilean wines have been considered one of the world’s most ecologically-sound, organically produced wines. The near-absence of naturally-occurring pests and diseases allow wineries to grow their grapes under some of the world’s most natural conditions. Acknowledged by reputed sommeliers and experts, Chilean wines frequently win awards at fairs and intentional events.
Chile’s prime wine regions are in the Elqui, Limarí, Choapa, Aconcagua, Casablanca, San Antonio, Maipo, Cachapoal, Colchagua, Curicó, Maule, Itata, Bío-Bío and Malleco Valleys, from North to South. These areas grow a range of premium grapes, notably Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Pinot Noir, and Carmenère.
The famed foreign wineries that have over the years flocked to Chile, have helped change the face of local winemaking forever. Amongst these world-class names are such prestigious labels as Bodegas Torres and Chateau Lafitte and the houses of Rothschild, Pernord Ricard, Kendall-Jackson, Franciscan State, Bruno Prat and Grand Marnier, all with sizable local operations. They were drawn by Chile’s optimal climate and soil conditions, the promise of first-rate fruit and consistently healthy harvest, and the mounting world-wide demand for Chilean wines.
Chile continues to be renowned for its full-bodied, fruit-forward red wines with well-rounded tannins, particularly its flagship grape Cabernet Sauvignon. Carmenère, essentially unique to Chile, is considered its signature grape, and Syrah is a rising star with very encouraging results. Pinot Noir is experiencing increasing success in cooler zones, and growers enthusiastically experiment with varieties such as Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Carignan, and Tempranillo.
The current tendency is away from mono-varietal wines in favor of blends, not only in red wines, but in whites as well, although to a lesser degree. Crisp and fruity Chardonnay from cold-climate zones such as Casablanca and San Antonio continues to please consumers. Chilean Sauvignon Blanc is increasingly recognized for its excellence and now surpasses Chardonnay in production. Newer varieties such as Viognier, Riesling, and Sauvignon Gris are also finding their way into new vineyards and bottlings.
In 2006, Chile shipped wines worth over $970 million dollars to customers in all continents, notably to the United Kingdom and the United States. Chile is the world’s fifth-largest wine-exporting country. In 2006, imports of Chilean wine into the Unites States totaled more than $160 million dollars.
Chile has long been known for its excellent best-value wines, but also offers very high caliber premium and ultra premium wines at very attractive prices. Chilean wines continue to offer the added benefit of an extremely high quality-to-price ratio.
Wine of Chile