Chile

Question 1

Chile Geography

Answer 1

• Chile stretches 2,670 miles along the southern half of South America’s Pacific Coast
• The country is very narrow, rarely exceeding 100 miles in width and bounded by the Andes and the Pacific Ocean

Question 2

Chile Climate

Answer 2

• Chile’s climate varies immensely from the hot and extraordinarily dry Atacama Desert in the north to the very cool southern regions
• The icy ocean Humboldt Current brings cool, moist air and fog to the coastal areas
• The Coastal Range of mountains blocks the cool, moist air from the Pacific, Creating a rain shadow. The inland areas between the Coasl Range and the Andes have a warm to hot Mediterranean climate.

Question 3

Chile Topography

Answer 3

Significant variations in altitude mark Chile’s major regions, with vineyards in valley, on foothills, or at upper elevations

Question 4

Chile Grape Varietals

Answer 4

White:

• Chardonnay
• Sauvignon Blanc

Red:(75% of plantings)

• Cabernet Sauvignon
• Merlot
• Carmenere (long mistaken for Merlot)

Question 5

Chile Viticulture

Answer 5

• Phylloxera does not exist in Chile because of its strict quarantine laws and geographical isolation
• Many rivers descending from the Andes bring snow melt water for irrigation and create channels in the Coastal Range enabling cool air from the Pacific to travel inland

Question 6

Chile Regional Wine Law

Answer 6

• Denominacion de Origen (DO): Very similar to the AVA system in the US for denoting geographic origin
• The DO system defines
• —Zones
• —Regions (minimum 75% must be from the region)
• —Six regional DOs in Chile:
• —–Atacama
• —–Coquimbo
• —–Aconcagua
• —–Valle Central
• —–Sur
• —–Astral

Question 7

Chile Varietal Labeling Law

Answer 7

• Only Vitis vinifera (no hybrids

- Must be a minimum of 75% of the stated variety

Question 8

Chile Vintage Labeling Law

Answer 8

• Must be minimum 75% of the stated year

- In practice, most wines conform to 85% laws for all of the categories above to comply with EU export standards

Question 9

Chile Major Regions

Answer 9

• Aconcagua DO
• San Antonio DO
• Casablanca Valley DO

Question 10

San Antonio DO and Casablanca Valley DO Geography

Answer 10

Both of these areas are northern and situated west of the Coastal Mountains near the Pacific Ocean

Question 11

San Antonio DO and Casablanca Valley DO Climate

Answer 11

Cool maritime climate

Question 12

San Antonio DO and Casablanca Valley DO Grape Varietals

Answer 12

White:

• Chardonnay
• Sauvignon Blanc

Red:
-Pinot Noir

Question 13

Valle Central DO Geography

Answer 13

• Between the Andes and Coastal Mountains
• More than 80% of Chile’s wine production is located in this broadly encompassing region, which stretches southward 200 miles from the suburbs of Santiago

Question 14

Valle Central DO Climate

Answer 14

Warm to hot

Question 15

Valle Central DO Grape Varietals

Answer 15

Red:

• Cabernet Sauvignon
• Carmenere
• Merlot

Question 16

Valle Central DO Important Regions

Answer 16

• Maipo Valley DO (most famous, known for Cab Sauv)
• Curico DO
• Rapel DO
• Maule Valley DO