Chile Copied & Amended Flashcards
How would you describe the climate in Cachapoal Valley?
Warm, surrounded by mountains, no ocean influence
What is a constraint to grape growing in Coquimbo Region?
Irrigation is essential but very expensive due to lack of water resources.
The DO hierarchy?
-
The hierarchy is:
- Region
- Sub-region
- Zone
- Area
- Example is Central Valley region (DO), Rapel Valley, Colchagua, Apalta
Chile is a very long country and its vineyards run from 30 degrees south to 38 degrees south - but its climate is broadly similar across this area - what is it and describe it
- Despite covering 8 degrees of latitude the vineyard areas have a similar climate
- Mediterranean climate;
- Long, dry and sunny growing season
- But it gets cooler and wetter further south
What 2 black and 2 white grapes do well in Casablanca Valley and San Antonio Valley?
Syrah / Pinot Noir
Sauvignon Blanc / Chardonnay
Which Chilean grape variety used to be confused with Merlot?
Carmenere
What is the most widely grown grape variety in Chile?
Cabernet Sauvignon
What is the name of the national promotional body and what are its key aims?
- Wines of Chile:
- focused on promotion of mid-priced super premium wines,
- encouraging image of Chile as a premium producer
What percentage of Chilean wine is exported?
70%
Which wine region near Santiago has the warmest climate?
Maipo
What 1 white and 1 red wine would you expect from Elqui Valley?
Sauvignon Blanc and Syrah
80% of Chilean wine is made by just four wineries; name them.
- 80% of wine still produced by 4 companies:
- Concha y Toro
- Santa Rita
- Santa Carolina
- San Pedro (have wineries in Argentina)
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
name the 4 main regional DOs
-
6 main regional DOs created:
- Coquimbo
- Aconcagua
- Central Valley
- Southern
The DOs were divided along mainly political lines
What are the key export markets for Chile?
- Exports:
- China is biggest export market for Chilean wines
- Followed by USA; Japan; UK and Brazil
- South American nations, like Brazil are covered by an FTA
Chile is now in the ____ largest exporter of wine and the ___ largest producer.
4th / 7th
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
Why did the Chilean government introduce extra designations for wine, on top of the DOs, such as Costa, Entre Cordilleras, Andes?
- Most vineyards planted within valleys that run East to West
- most climatic variation runs East to West
- the Pacific Ocean influences the western end of the Valleys - Costa
- the Andes provides some cooling influence on the eastern end of the valley
- these cooling influences help to retain acidity and lengthen the growing season
Rapel Valley is subdivided into 2 zones, what are they?
Cachapoal Valley and Colchagua Valley
Carmenere can claim to be Chile’s red varietal - describe the varietal and the wine made from it.
-
Carmenere:
- Identified in 1994 (mistaken for Merlot)
- Often used in blends with other Bordeaux varietals
- Single varietal:
- Good to very Good; Full body; High Tannin; Medium Acidity;
- Ripe Blackberry, Bell pepper; Spicy, roasted coffee, or dark chocolate when oaked
- Herbaceous characteristics – bell pepper and eucalyptus – can be overt if the fruit isn’t fully ripe
- Site selection important: ripens 2-3 weeks later than Merlot
- need warm sunny sites or can be overly herbaceous with harsh Tannins
- if picked when over ripe the wine can be overly alcoholic
- research into clonal selection, site selection, harvesting dates with less extraction and new oak usage is seeing an evolution in Carmenere styles
Cooling influences to Chile’s climate - clue - there are quite a few
Cooling influences:
- Pacific coast & Andes provide significant cooling influence at either end of the valleys
- Range of low mountains along a significant part of coast
- Altitude:300-800m
- along the coast,
- a range of low mountains forming a barrier against coastal influence
- areas west of mountains exposed to ocean influences
-
Humboldt Current:
- flows up from Antarctica bringing cool water hence cool air;
- morning fog produced (warm air rises from land during day & this cool air is sucked inland);
- moderating temps until burnt away by sun, increasing humidity
- Gaps in coastal ranges allow for fog & cool breezes to enter, moderating vineyards East of coastal ranges
- Vineyards planted on slopes providing cooling influences with altitude & aspect
- Vineyards planted in East
- at near or foothills of Andes;
- cool mountain air descends from Andes overnight;
high diurnal range& altitude moderating temps
To qualify for DO status what criteria must a wine meet?
-
To Qualify for DO status
- 75% of grapes must come from that region; 85% if exported to the EU
- Varietal claim must be75% of variety; 85% if exported to the EU
- Do wines must have min 11.5% ABV
What grape has Leyda Valley gained an excellent reputation for growing?
Sauvignon Blanc
Which southern Chilean region is most focused on Pinot Noir production?
Bio Bio Valley
What is the white wine that makes Limari Valley stand out?
Chile’s best Chardonnay
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.
