Chile Flashcards
How would you describe the 4 key geographical features of Chile?
- To the West is the Pacific Ocean
- Just inland are the Coastal Mountain Ranges
- To the East are the Andes Mountains
- South of Santiago is a large depression between the two mountain ranges called ‘Central Valley’.
Apalta is a region on the ____side of ____Valley.
Identify 2 top producers from Apalta and their top wines.
What kinds of wines are these?
Eastern side of Colchagua Valley.
Casa Lapostolle’s “Clos Apalta”
Viña Montes “Alpha M”
Bordeaux-style blends
Which region is developing a reputation for Old Bush Vine Carignan in Chile?
Maule Valley
What are the 2 sub-regions of Curicó?
Lontué and Teno
What is a constraint to grape growing in Coquimbo Region?
Irrigation is essential but very expensive due to lack of water resources.
What are growing conditions like in the Aconcagua Valley?
What 3 grapes would you find there?
The vineyards on the fertile valley floor are some of the warmest growing conditions in Chile.
Cabernet Sauvignon / Merlot / Carmenère
What grape has Leyda Valley gained an excellent reputation for growing?
Sauvignon Blanc
What it the term in Chile for Wines of Origin?
Denominaciones de Origen (DO)
Which Chilean grape variety used to be confused with Merlot?
Carmenere
What 3 things provides the cooling in Coastal areas and inside much of the Inland Mountain ranges?
- The cold Humboldt Current flows up from Antarctica
- Prevailing winds blow cool air inland along river valleys
- Coastal areas can experience fog
Who produces “Clos Apalta?”
Casa Lapostolle
Which southern Chilean region is most focused on Pinot Noir production?
Bio Bio Valley
Topographically, what are conditions like between the Coastal mountains and the Andes?
More sheltered. Large expanses of flat land that is easier to cultivate
The País grape is also known by which 3 synonyms?
Mission
Criolla Chica
Listan Prieto
Which subregion of Coquimbo has lowest wine production?
Choapa Valley
Montes, Neyen, and Lapostolle all call what DO zone home?
Colchagua Valley
Which region is famed for its Carmenere?
Identify a top producer / wine made from Carmenere:
Colchagua Valley
Viña Montes’ “Purple Angel”
Los Vascos winery is owned by which famous First Growth property in Bordeaux?
Chateau Lafite Rothschild
Rapel Valley is subdivided into 2 zones, what are they?
Cachapoal Valley and Colchagua Valley
What is special about Chilean grapevines and root stock?
Chile’s vines are all ungrafted and phylloxera-free.
What is the white wine that makes Limari Valley stand out?
Chile’s best Chardonnay
How would you describe the climate of Chile? What is the one risk of the climate?
Generally Warm Mediterranean
Dry, sunny, growing season = Grapes reliably ripen and low fungal risk.
RISK - Drought; in some places water is in short supply
What 3 sub regions make up Coquimbo Region and what contributes to them making good wine?
Elqui Valley, Limari Valley and Choapa Valley.
Brilliant sunshine and marked cooling from sea breezes or mountain air
How would you describe the climate of Aconcagua Valley?
Flat, fertile and very warm
Which famous Spanish wine family own extensive vineyards in Chile?
Miguel Torres
Which wine region near Santiago has the warmest climate?
Maipo
Pisco production is most prominent in which Chilean region?
Atacama
What is Chile’s most planted white grape?
Sauvignon Blanc
What are conditions like in Curicó Valley and Maule Valley and what is mainly grown there?
It’s warm and the soils are fertile. Mainly grapes for bulk red and white blends, but Cabernet Sauvignon has become the star variety, producing full-bodied, intensely concentrated wines from ancient, low-yielding vines.
Which Chilean winery is not only the largest in Chile, but also in the whole of South America?
Concha y Toro
Chile is now in the ____ largest exporter of wine and the ___ largest producer.
5th / 7th
Which of these wine regions is the most southerly - Maipo, Limari, Bio Bio?
Bio Bio
What is the climate like in Chile’s Southern region and which grapes perform well there?
Cooler and wetter the further south they are located.
País and Muscat of Alexandria are most planted
Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are cultivated in tiny amounts in Malleco Valley.
Where are the best vineyards in Maipo Valley located and what are they renowned for producing?
Many established houses are based due to:
3 major producers are:
Located in the Andean foothills
A reputation for producing Cabernet Sauvignon with a ‘minty’ character
Its proximity to Santiago.
Concha y Toro
Santa Rita
Cousiño Macul
What 2 black and 2 white grapes do well in Casablanca Valley and San Antonio Valley?
Syrah / Pinot Noir
Sauvignon Blanc / Chardonnay
Arrange the following regions from north to south (1 = northernmost, 5 = southernmost).
A. Casablanca Valley
B. Curicó Valley
C. Limarí Valley
D. Itata Valley
E. Maipo Valley
- Limari Valley
- Casablanca Valley
- Maipo Valley
- Curicó Valley
- Itata Valley
Almaviva Winery is a joint project between:
What type of wine is produced?
Where are they located (sub-region / DO)?
Concha y Toro and Baron Philippe de Rothschild.
Cabernet Sauvignon-dominated blend, with Carmenére, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc.
Puente Alto DO / Maipo Valley / Central Valley
Which 3 sub regions make up Chile’s Sur Region?
Itata Valley
Bio Bio Valley
Malleco Valley
The DO regions in Chile can be subdivided and subdivided again, what are the terms for these subdivisions?
13 Sub Regions then subdivided into Zones
Arrange the following regions from north to south (1 = northernmost, 4 = southernmost).
A. Itata Valley
B. San Antonio Valley
C. Maule Valley
D. Bío Bío Valley
- San Antonio Valley.
- Maule Valley
- Itata Valley
- Bio BIo Valley
Roughly speaking how would you describe the climate of Chile?
The climate of Chile is diverse but can be described generally as warm Mediterranean
Carmenère is usually harvested after Cabernet Sauvignon.
Why is this?
Underripe Carmenere grapes produce wine with unpleasant, undesirable green flavors. Harvesting it later minimizes these green flavors and maximizes fruit notes.
Viñedo Chadwick, Almaviva, and Concha y Toro’s “Don Melchior” are all produced out of what Chilean subregion?
Maipo Valley
How would you describe the climate of Casablanca and San Antonio Valleys?
Cool, between the sea and Coastal mountain ranges.
Concepción, Chile’s 3rd largest city, is closest to what wine region?
Itata Valley
Limari Valley has a growing reputation for high quality ____.
What 2 climatic features contribute to its success?
Chardonnay.
Limestone soils / Cooler Coastal Climate
Elqui Valley has a growing reputation for high quality ____.
What climatic feature contributes to its success?
Syrah
Cool, high-altitude vineyard sites.
What are the 4 sub regions (and 2 sub-sub-regions) of the Central Valley Region?
Maipo Valley
Rapel Valley - divided into Cachapoal and Colchagua
Curicó Valley
Maule Valley
What is the most widely grown grape variety in Chile?
Cabernet Sauvignon
Identify 3 Chilean wineries that were founded in the 19th Century:
- Concha y Toro
- Cousiño Macul
- Santa Rita
The VIGNO association exists to preserve old vine _______ in ___ Valley.
Carignan / Maule
In which century were vines first planted in Chile?
16th Century
Which Chilean region lies directly across the Andes from Argentina’s Mendoza?
Maipo Valley
What 1 white and 1 red wine would you expect from Elqui Valley?
Sauvignon Blanc and Syrah
Between 1995 and 2015 the number of wineries in Chile grew from ___ to approximately ____.
12 to 340
Wines indicating a DO region in Chile must contain what minimum percentage of a variety to include it on a label?
75%
Which Chilean winery produces “Casa Real?”
What grape is used?
What is the wine’s DO?
Santa Rita
100% Cabernet Sauvignon
Maipo Valley DO
What weather is potentially associated with El Niño and La Niña?
El Niño years - Rainfall can be very heavy
La Niña years - Drought may occur
The winery of Errázuriz is located in which commune of which DO?
What is their claim to fame?
Which other top wine do they produce?
Panquehue.
Errázuriz’s “Seña,” an iconic Bordeaux-style blend and one of the premier reds of Chile, placed ahead of both Château Lafite and Château Margaux in the 2004 Berlin Tasting—a milestone for the Chilean wine industry likened to the famous 1976 Judgment of Paris.
“Viñedo Chadwick”
How would you describe the climate in Cachapoal Valley?
Warm, surrounded by mountains, no ocean influence
What 4 labelling terms can be seen on Chilean wines?
What do these terms indicate?
Reserva
Reserva Especial
Reserva Privada
Gran Reserva
Wines labeled Reserva and Reserva Especial must have a minimum 12% abv.
Wines labeled Reserva Privada and Gran Reserva require a minimum 12.5% abv.
In addition, Reserva Especial and Gran Reserva wines spend mandatory time in oak.
Working from North to South what are the 6 main DO regions of Chile?
Atacama DO
Coquimbo DO
Aconcagua DO
Central Valley (Valle Central) DO
Sur DO
Austral DO
What factors contribute to Casablanca Valley and San Antonio Valley being cooled?
What climate to they have?
They lie between the Pacific Ocean and the Coastal Mountains benefitting from morning fogs and afternoon winds from the Ocean.
Cool maritime climate
What are the 3 sub-regions of the Aconcagua Region and what is the renowned Zone within one of the subregions?
Aconcagua Valley
Casablanca Valley
San Antonio Valley containing Leyda Valley Zone
What is the climate like in Cachapoal Valley and Colchagua Valley and what 4 black grapes are largely grown there?
Cachapoal: Northerly warm area, cut off from ocean breezes.
Colchagua: More southerly, central part of valley is warm and open to some ocean influence.
Carmenére / Merlot on warm valley floor Cab Sav and Syrah is cooler parts
Puente Alto is located in which Chilean region?
Maipo Valley
What best describes a typical Camenére wine?
Chile’s signature grape variety. Late-ripening, most successful in warmer areas.
Full-bodied, high tannin
Overtly herbaceous when not fully ripe, but good examples achieve a balance between herbal and black fruit.
How would you describe the climate of Coquimbo region?
Where are some vineyards now being planted?
Brilliant sunshine with cooling influences from sea breezes and mountain air.
Some vineyards now planted at very high altitude.
What provides the cooling in the Chilean foothills of the Andes?
Cold air descends from mountains overnight providing a large diurnal range.
What is the largest growing area in Chile?
Central Valley (Valle Central DO)
Which subregion corresponds to Chile’s O’Higgins administrative region?
Rapel Valley
Until the 21st century, Chile was mostly planted to what grape?
País
Introduced in 2012 what are the 3 new terms introduced to describe where a wine is from and what do they mean?
Costa = From near the coast
Entre Cordilleras = Between the (mountain) ranges
Andes = From the mountain area
