CHILE Flashcards
When and where did Vitis Vinifera come to Chile?
1550s by Spanish settlers
What varieties were the earliest, cheap wines made from?
Pais, and Muscat. They were fairly unsophisticated
What are the factors that led to Chile’s wine region expanding in the 19th Century?
- Chile’s independence from Spain, increased national wealth and local access to resources
- Phylloxera swept through Europe, lots of winemakers were drawn to Chile where there was healthy vines
What sent the booming Chilean wine industry into decline in the middle of the 20th Century?
- Decline of domestic demand
2. Inability to export due to political isolation
What was the result of the great decline in domestic sales in the mid-20th century?
About 50% of Chile’s vineyards were pulled out.
What changed in the industry in the 1980s and 90s?
Democratic government, a return of the free market.
A shift was made toward quality production, with large investment in technology.
What is recently most exciting about Chilean wines?
A shift in style to less extraction, less oak and more elegance. A shift from conservatism to more innovative and explorative winemaking.
What is the latitude range for the growing region in Chile?
30-38 degrees south.
What are the geographic features that border each side of the growing region in Chile?
North - Atacama desert
South - Patagonia glaciers
East - Andes mountains
West - Pacific ocean
What is the climate like generally?
Fairly consistent north to south.
Mostly warm, mediterranean climate with a long dry and sunny growing season.
How does the general latitude in Chile effect the growing environment?
The sunshine is very intense.
How does rainfall differ throughout the growing region?
The northern and inland areas are drier, and coastal and southern areas are wetter.
How does the Pacific ocean effect the growing environment on a large scale?
El Nino & La Nina.
(opposite effects on east and west of the pacific)
Leads to increased vintage variation.
What do both the Andes and the Pacific do as an advantage to the growing regions?
They are often in east-west valleys, meaning that the ocean and the mountains act as cooling influences on both sides. Longer growing season and acidity retention
What is the name of the cooling current that flows north from Antarctica?
What effect does it have and where?
Humboldt.
brings cold water and therefore cold air, brings fog in the morning, that is cooling, but also brings humidity.
Greatest effect is on the coastal regions between the coastal mountain ranges and the sea.
What is grown in the Central Valley? Why?
High volume, inexpensive wines. It is a large, relatively flat, dry and warm area.
Where in the Central Valley would you plant to make higher quality wine? Why?
On slopes or hills that have cooling influences either by altitude or aspect.
Gaps in the coastal range will bring cool air from the ocean.
Or the foothills of the Andes, where cool air comes down from the mountains overnight.
What soil is the most rare? Where are the limited outcrops?
Limestone. Small pockets found in the Limari valley.
What is the difference between the soil types around the Coastal ranges and the Andes?
Coastal ranges - gravel, sand, silt, not very fertile
Andes - Volcanic, granite, also not very fertile.
What is the total area under vine in Chile?
137000 hectares
How did production change between the 90s and 2000s?
Almost doubled (from 3 to 6 million hectolitres)
What is the general attitude toward organic viticulture?
Positive. The warm sunny climate means that in most areas, disease pressure is low, making organics a viable option.
Do growers engage in irrigation?
Yes, over 85% of vineyards are irrigated because of such low rainfall.
Where is irrigation not necessary?
Itata Valley, Bio Bio (South) where there is moderate rainfall, and lots of old vines.
What are the main water sources?
Snow melt from the Andes, river valleys, ground wells.
Water pressure becoming a major issue due to less snow.
What major hazard is becoming more and more of a threat?
Forest fire, smoke taint.
Has Phylloxera effected Chile?
No it remains Phylloxera free due to isolation and strict quarantine.
Is harvest generally by hand or mechanised?
Traditionally by hand, and still mostly that way. But mechanisation is increasing in the Central Valley where it’s flat, as labour becomes harder to find.
What are the most widely planted red and white varieties?
Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc
What was the most widely planted variety before the 1990s?
Pais
What are the most significant vine identification mistakes in Chilean vineyards?
Carmenere thought to be Merlot/Chilean Merlot.
Sauvignon Blanc being confused Sauvignonasse and Sauvignon Gris
What are some of the varieties that producers are experimenting with to promote diversity?
Muscat, Viognier, Riesling & Gewurz.
Carignon, Cinsault, Grenache, Mourvedre
Describe a typical mid-priced Cabernet Sauvignon
Full bodied
Full, ripe tannin
Dark fruit, and herbaceousness
Spicy, toasty aromas from some new oak.
Where are the best sites traditionally for quality Cabernet Sauvignon?
In the foothills of the Andes where the soils are poorer to control vigour, and it’s cooler to lengthen the growing season and retain acidity
Where is Merlot generally planted, and what style is Chile best known for?
Central Valley, where it makes inexpensive, soft and ripe medium bodied examples.
What are the characteristics of a Chilean Carmenere?
Full bodied, high tannin, medium acidity, ripe black fruits and herbaceous characaters (because it ripens so late), spice, coffee, dark chocolate from oak
What is a typical Syrah like?
Variable as it’s grown in a number of different locations. Cooler climate examples from San Antonio, Casablance, Limari and Elqui - high acid, black fruit and pepper/clove. Warm climate examples from Colchuagaand fuller bodied with riper fruit,
What variety is emerging rapidly in cooler regions? What characters are typical?
Pinot Noir - Red fruit, herbal characters and moderate to high alcohol.
What regions are best suited fro Sauvignon Blanc?
Limari, Casblanca and San Antonio (cooler regions)
What is a typical good quality Sauvignon Blanc like?
High acid, range of fruit from citrus to stonefruit to tropical and herbaceous.
What is the second most planted white variety and what is it’s usual style?
Chardonnay. Thriving in coole regions like Limari. Med+ to high acid, citrus and stone fruit flavours. Oaked or unoaked.
What does DO stand for in Chile?
Denominaciones de Origen
What are the levels of regions in Chile from largest to smallest?
Region
Sub-region
Zone
Area (can be part of a zone, or a sub-region)
What are the six DOs?
Atacama (satellite, not important) Coquimbo Aconcagua Central Valley Southern Austral (satellite, not importnat)
What are the three East to West designations that were introduced to overlay the DOs?
Where has this system been adopted more successfully than others? Why?
Costa
Andes
Entre Cordilleras
Aconcagua, where the differences are most prominent.
What are the necessary qualifications for DO status?
75% of grapes must come from that region, or 85% if they are being exported to the EU.
Minimum alcohol of 11.5%
What are the qualifications for varietally labelled wines?
75% of that named variety, or 85% if being exported to the EU
What are the internationally recognised labelling terms?
What are their requirements?
Superior
Reserva (12% abv)
Reserva Especial (12% abv)
Reserva Privada (12.5% abv, 6 months in oak)
Gran Reserva (12.5% abv, 6 months in oak.
Largely meaningless, used less and less.
What are the three DOs in the Coquimbo region?
What was it originally planted for?
Elqui
Limari
Choapa (tiny amounts)
Originally planted for table grapes and grapes for Pisco
What are the typical climatic influences in the Coquimbo region?
Low latitude Hot summers Cooling ocean and mountains Humboldt current fog No rain - edge of a desert High diurnal range
What varieties are best performing in Elqui?
What are the cooling effects here?
Syrah and Sauvignon Blanc.
Altitude (up to 2200m)
East/west orientation of the valley allowing fog to roll further inland
What is unusual about the Limari region?
What grape is mostly planted here?
Pockets of calcareous soils like limestone. Retaining moisture.
Chardonnay, and then Syrah for reds
What varieties are mostly planted in Aconcagua Costa?
Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Syrah (cool climate)
What varieties are mostly planted in Aconcagua Entre Cordilleras?
Full red varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Carmenere and Syrah
What varieties are typically planted in the Aconcagua Andes?
Similar varieties to the Entre Cordilleras, but at a higher quality level and less ripe fruit flavours
What are the three main sub-regions of the Aconcagua?
Acongacua Valley
Casablanca
San Antonio
Leyda Valley
What is notable about the climate in Casablanca Valley?
What is the major risk here?
It is one of the coolest regions as it has hills on the East to trap the cool air coming straight off the ocean.
Major risk is spring frost
What is different about San Antonio to Casablanca?
Still very cool with lots of ocean influence, but has lots of hills meaning there is a greater diversity of aspects.
What varieties are typically planted in Casablanca?
Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Syrah
What are the four main sub-regions of the Central Valley?
And the two zones within the second?
Maipo Valley Rapel Valley (Cachapoal Valley & Colchagua Valley) Curico Valley Maule Valley
Why is Maipo the dominating region in the Chilean wine industry?
History and proximity to Santiago. Plantings have been here since the 16th century.
What is a typical Cabernet Sauvignon from Maipo like?
Full bodied, ripe fruit, full soft tannins, aromas of cassis and often a minty character
Where are the super premium Cabernet Sauvignon wines from Maipo grown?
At altitude on the foothills of the Andes (Alto Maipo)
What is the difference between Cachapoal and Colchagua?
Cachapoal is further north, warmer, known for quality Carmenere from Peumo
Colchagua is further south, larger, more diverse. Produces both very inexpensive and super-premium wines.
How is the Curico valley able to make high volume inexpensive red wines?
fertile soils, a number of rivers provide lots of irrigation sources.
What region at the Southern end of the Central Valley has the highest plantings in the country?
Maule Valley
How is Maule Valley able to produce both inexpensive and super premium wines?
Diverse region - fertile soils in the central part of the valley, and then some very old, dry grown vineyards able to survive without irrigation because there is rainfall here in the winter
What premium wines are recently being made in Maule from what native variety? What are they like?
Pais from very old bush vines (100 and 200 yo).
Very pale, medium body, medium acidity, red fruits like strawberry and raspberry, some herbal and spicy notes.
What variety introduced in teh 1940s is planted more in Maule than any other region? Why?
Carignan. Promoted by the VIGNO who are a growers association promoting old vine, dry grown Carignan.
What are the three sub-regions of the Souther region?
Itata
Bio Bio
Malleco
What are the major threats in the Southern region?
How are these risks mitigated?
Fungal disease (due to lots of rainfall, and cooler summers). Mitigated by ocean breezes and canopy management.
Unripe fruit. Mitigated by altitude allowing for longer days, and a longer season.
Why would leading producers be buying or establishing vineyards in Itata?
Due to concerns over climate change and water shortages in the warmer, northern regions.
What varieties dominate Itata?
What is the other, newer variety that is producing some good and very good quality wines here?
Pais and Muscat of Alexandria. Old bush vines of Cinsault.
What modern vineyard plantings are promising in Bio Bio?
Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, as well as aromatic whites like Sauvignon Blanc, Gewurz and Riesling
What varieties dominate the Malleco Valley? Why?
Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc because they like the cooler climate and ripen earlier.
Describe the export market in Chile
It’s the fourth largest exporter of wine in the world. 70% of Chile’s wine is exported.
Volume to value ratio is very low, showing a very low value per unit of wine exported.
Describe the domestic market.
Very small. 2.3 million hectolitres consumed, 9.3 million hectolitres exported in 2018. That’s less than 20% consumed domestically, which is very low for a producer country.
What are some political mechanisms that have allowed the Chilean export industry to thrive?
Free trade agreements with China and South Korea.
Who are the largest export markets?
China. USA Japan UK Brazil, and other South American countries
Describe the most important factor of production ownership.
80% of Chilean wine still made by four companies: Concha Y Toro Santa Rita Santa Carolina San Pedro
What outside investors have found success in Chile? Why would they invest there?
Torres Mouton Rothschild Lafite Rothschild Jackson Family Wines. Cheap land, minimal overheads. But would need to import equipment
What organisation has promoted the emergence of very small wineries and producers over the last decade?
MOVI (Movimiento de Vinateros Independientes)
