Chile Flashcards
What is the top grape variety grown in Chile?
Cabernet Sauvignon due to French influence and focus on Bordeaux blends.
In 1990s it was discovered that the country’s Merlot was actually an almost extinct Carménère. Suddenly Chile has its own unique wine.
What are the top five grape varieties in Chile?
- Cabernet Sauvignon
- Chardonnay
- Sauvignon Blanc
- Merlot
- Carménère
What is the biggest production region in Chile?
Central Valley region which includes Maipo Valley, Colchagua Valley and Rapel Valley
What are the 3 unique growing zones in each of Chile’s wine regions?
- The Costas (Cooler coastal regions)
- Entre Cordilleras (Warm inland valleys)
- Los Andes (exposed mountainous areas)
What grape was discovery happened in Chile in the 1990s?
That much of the country’s Merlot was in fact a nearly extinct variety called Carménère. Suddenly Chile has its own unique wine
What is are the two biggest white grapes in Chile?
Chardonnay
Sauvignon Blanc
What country has influenced Chile’s wine culture the most?
The French. The focus is on Bordeaux varieties
What does Chile focus on red or white wine?
Chile specialises in red wine, with a keen focus on Bordeaux varietals
Has Chile been affected by Phylloxera?
No today the vineyards in Chile have not been affected by Phylloxera
What kick started the foreign investment and modernisation in Chile?
The fall of General Pinochet in 1989 and the restoration of a free market economy
What has resulted in a clean, new world style in Chile?
Modern wineries with stainless steel equipment
Wines stating a Denomination of Origin in Chile must contain what % of grapes grown in that region?
75% (85% if imported into the EU)
What is the hierarchy of regions in Chile?
Regions
Subregions
Zones
Areas
A wine May state any of the four levels on its label
Appellation system set up in 1995
What is more important that latitude in Chile?
Influence of the Pacific breeze
Why is irrigation essential in Chile?
Due to low rainfall
What provides water for drip irrigation in Chile?
Snow melt from the Andes
What has led to an increased problem with nematodes in Chile?
Drip irrigation
Why are Chile’s new plantings often planted on grafted rootstock despite its Phylloxera free status?
Problems with nematodes means new plantings are often planted on grafted rootstock with nematode resistance
How much of its annual production does Chile export?
~70%
Who influences the price of grapes in Chile?
Concha y Toro, South America’s largest wine producer
What is MOVI?
Movement of Independent Vintners in Chile
Founded in 2009 as a reaction to commodity wines
It is bringing diversity and personality to the Chilean offering
What is VIGNO?
Vignadores de Carignan
It is rehabilitating Maule’s dry farmed old vine Carignan and has been hailed as the first European style Chilean appellation
Who introduced vines to Chile?
The Spanish in the 16th Century principally to provide for the Eucharist
Who ordered every landholder in New Spain to grow grapes?
Conquistador Hernán Cortés in 1524
New Spain including Mexico, Chile and much of South America
What grape dominated plantings in Chile for 400 years?
The mission grape known locally as País, brought over by Spanish missionaries and conquistadors
What has displaced País as the most planted variety in Chile in recent years?
Cabernet Sauvignon
Who immigrated to Chile in the wake of Phylloxera?
French winemakers
They found not only a land free of Phylloxera but a rich catalogue of European vine cuttings
What grape variety indigenous to Bordeaux was preserved in Chile when it was almost entirely killed off by Phylloxera?
Carménère
What caused the collapse of the Chilean wine industry in the 1970s?
The autocratic Pinochet regime which caused the collapse of domestic consumption
A vine pull scheme obliterated half of Chile’s vineyards
Who established a Chilean venture in 1979?
The Spaniard Miguel Torres
Introducing state of the art methods such as temperature controlled fermentation in stainless steel tanks.
Producers and investors followed his leads, shifting their focus to quality wines for the export market.
What did Miguel Torres introduce to Chile?
State of the art methods such as temperature controlled fermentation in stainless steel tanks in his Chilean venture from 1979
What is the Berlin tasting?
A historical blind tasting organised in 2004 by Eduardo Chadwick of Viña Errázuriz
16 top Chilean, Bordeaux and Super Tuscan wines from the 2000 and 2001 vintages.
Viñedo Chadwick 2000 and Seña 3001 placed first and second ahead of Château Lafite 2000
How long is Chile?
4,300km N to South
But only 240km at most east to west
How wide in Chile?
Only 240km at most east to west but over 4,300km from north to south
What is to the East of Chile?
The Andes
What is to the West of Chile?
The Pacific Ocean
What is to the north of Chile?
The Atacama Desert
What is to the South of Chile?
The Southern Ocean
What exerts a cooling influence on Chile?
The cold Humboldt Current means it is cooler than its latitude range suggests
Morning mists from the Pacific and afternoon onshore breezes exert an additional cooling effect
Where can you go to chill out in Chile?
The beach! It is literally cooler thanks to onshore afternoon breezes and morning cooling mists
What ensures grapes with intense colours and bright fruit flavours in Chile?
High levels of sunshine combined with high diurnal temperature variations
What is El Niño?
A cool weather system in Chile which every few years brings rainfall in the middle of the growing season
What is La Niña?
A warm weather system in Chile which can pose a problem in the form of drought and bush fires
What climatic threat is faced by cooler coastal regions in Chile?
Frost
How much land is planted with vines in Chile?
~130,000ha
Where is viticulture focused in Chile?
In the Central Valley region extending south from Santiago
It lies between the Andes and the lower coastal range (Cordillera de la Costa)
What is the climate in Chile’s Central Valley?
Mediterranean
The Coastal range shelters the valley from the brunt of the cool sea mists
Why is there a large diurnal temperature variation in Chile’s Central Valley?
Maritime air that filters through meets with cold air descending from the Andes
When is rain concentrated in Chile?
In winter, summers are even drier than the Mediterranean with sunshine pretty much all day every day
How many sub regions are there in Chile’s Central Valley?
4
N-S Maipo Rapel (Colchagua and Cachapoal) Curicó Maule
What is Chile’s most important wine region?
Central Valley
What is the only capital city with vineyards within its perimeter?
Santiago in Chile
What is the predominant soil type in Chile’s Maipo in Central Valley?
Clay which perhaps surprisingly has Cabernet Sauvignon account for over half of plantings
Where in Maipo are white varieties like Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc planted?
In the cooler Costa regions
Where is Concha y Toro’s iconic Don Melchor vineyard?
Puente Alto in Alto Maipo
Along with Almaviva, a joint venture between Concha y Toro and Philippe de Rothschild
And Viñedo Chadwick which belongs to Viña Errázuriz
Where are the Cachapoal Valley and Colchagua Valley Zones?
In Chile
In Rapel, Central Valley
What represents over a third of the plantings in Cachapoal, Rapel, Central Valley, Chile?
Cabernet Sauvignon
Where are the best sites for Cabernet Sauvignon in Cachapoal, Rapel, Central Valley, Chile?
In the Andean foothills to the west in the Costas the climate it warmer and better suited to Carménère and Syrah
What is Chile’s largest sub-Region?
Maule in Central Valley
Why can some vines be dry farmed in Maule?
Owing to its more southerly latitude it is cooler and cloudier than the rest of Central Valley enabling some vines to be dry farmed
What is attracting a cult following in Maule, Central Valley, Chile?
Old dry farmed bush vines of Carignan
What three valleys sit in the Aconcagua region of Chile?
Aconagua Valley
Casablanca Valley
San Antonio Valley
Who first introduced Syrah to Chile in the early 1990s?
Eduardo Chadwick of Viña Errázuriz
Which Chilean Aconagua valleys are exclusively coastal?
Casablanca and San Antonio
What grapes are the Casablanca and San Antonio sub regions of Aconcagua known for and why?
Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir
Due to relatively cool climate as these sub regions are entirely coastal and have maritime influence of the Humbolt current and morning fog similar to those in California encourage the development of complex flavours due to slow ripening
What is the most exciting Zone in San Antonia, Aconcagua, Chile?
Leyda Valley a mere 12km from the coast
Sauvignon Blanc dominates also plantings of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir
Where does water come from for irrigation water in the sub region of Casablanca, Aconcagua, Chile?
Boreholes as there is no river to tap
Supplemented by dew from morning mists
Where does 90% of exported Chilean wine come from?
Central Valley region
What grapes is Central Valley best known for?
Bordeaux varieties esp Cabernet Sauvignon
What is the wettest of the Central Valley sub regions in Chile?
Maule to the South
What are the three sub regions in South Chile?
Itata
Bío-Bío
Malleco
What is the climate in South Chile?
Maritime
Climate is cooler and wetter than the rest of Chile as the Coastal range is less prominent
Making irrigation unnecessary
What grapes are now being planted in Southern Chile and why?
Research into better regions for grape growing has led to plantings on hills and nearer the sea and País, Muscat and Cabernet Sauvignon being replaced with varieties better suited to the cool, wet climate most notably Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling and Gewürztraminer
What is the annual rainfall in Southern Chile?
1,300mm although most falls in winter
Irrigation is not necessary though unlike other parts of Chile
Where is Coquimbo Region?
In Chile
The most northern wine region in Chile
What is Coquimbo Region known for?
Growing grapes for Pisco
There are two sub regions for wine
Elqui Valley & Limari Valley
Known for Cab Sav & Shiraz
The most Northern wine region in Chile
What is Elqui Valley known for?
Cool growing conditions perfect for Cab Sav & Shiraz
High altitude vineyards up to 2000m
In most northern wine region in Chile, Coquimbo Valley
What is the climate in Limari Valley, Coquimbo Region, Chile?
Cool climate
Situated in east-west valley benefits from morning dogs flowing in from Pacific which cool the climate
Low annual rainfall (80-100mm/y) necessitates drip irrigation
What is the annual rainfall in Limari Valley, Coquimbo Region, Chile?
Very low 80-100mm per year necessitating drip irrigation
What was Quinta Normal?
An experimental nursery for vines set up in 1830 for all manner of exotic botanical specimens including European vines.
It was set up by the Chilean government on the advise of Frenchman Claudio Gay and meant that Chile has its own collection of Vinifera cuttings banked in viticultural isolation before the onset of Powdery Mildew and Phylloxera that ravished global vineyards in the late 19th Century