WineRegionsNew World
Some ten percent of the world's wine is made in South America.This region, particularily red wine from Chile, joins Australia and SouthAfrica, as new world wines increasing their exports of wine dramaticallyin the 1990's. Almost half of all the South American vineyards lie in theArgentina state of Mendoza. Here is the quantity production of tablered wines, vino comun. The most widely planted grape is Malbec. This arid,flat region is comparable to the Central Valley in California, the Languedocin France, the plains of Spain, and the flatlands of Australia.
CHILE
Chilean wines are made from grapes Americans already know and like: CabernetSauvignon and Merlot for the reds, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay for thewhites. Vintages hardly matter, because Chile's vineyards enjoy temperate,semi-arid weather that ripens the grapes consistently from year to year.The appellation system is relatively primitive and the big wineries tendto blend fruit from widely spread growing regions, so regional characteris still blurred (though beginning to emerge). Most of the Chilean wineswe see in America are produced by a handful of large companies; labels arefew and brands are consistent. It's simply hard to go wrong.
Chile's wine industry was founded in the 1850s by wealthy aristocrats whomodeled their estates after Bordeaux châteaus. Most of the early winerieswere established in the Maipo Valley, just south of Santiago, Chile's capital.This is still the heart of Chile's wine country, which extends 250 milesthrough the country's Central Valley, a narrow, fertile plain at the footof the Andes. And Chile's best wines are still made from Bordeaux's traditionalgrape varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Sauvignon Blanc. The wineindustry foundered in the wake of the Allende years, during the 1970s andearly '80s, but now has the critical mass of capital and expertise neededto propel it into the top ranks of quality.
The focus in Chilean wines is on fruit flavor. The wines to to be medium-bodied,supple and balanced, best in their youth, when their fruit is fresh anddelicate. Some producers are now striving for, and achieving, more concentration.The longevity of these wines is still open to question, but even the richestretain harmony and accessibility.
The reds are the best bets so far. Refreshing, great accompaniments to food,they are polished, rarely heavy or jammy, with bright fruit, firm acidityand light tannins. Most are ready to drink two or three years after harvest;few reward extended cellaring. The top Cabernets still come from the MaipoValley, but the Cabs and Merlots from Colchagua, a subregion of the RapelValley south of Maipo are up and coming.
Maipo Valley giants Concha y Toro and Santa Rita are two of Chile's topCabernet producers; both offer bottlings at several price points, and theirbest wines (called Don Melchor and Casa Real, respectively) can rival someof Bordeaux's classified growth châteaus in character and concentration.Cousino-Macul, Chile's first premium winery, and Domaine Paul-Bruno, a newventure founded by Bordeaux stars Bruno Prats of Cos d'Estournel and PaulPontallier of Chateau Margaux, are Maipo neighbors that aim for a lighter,more elegant style.
Other notable Cab producers include Errazuriz, in the Aconcagua Valley northof Santiago, and Los Vascos, owned by Chateau Lafite Rothschild. Casa Lapostolleand Carmen are newcomers earning reputations for Merlot. Undurraga, SantaCarolina and Canepa reliably offer excellent value in red wines.
The whites play second fiddle so far. Chardonnay has only been widely plantedsince the 1980's, and though good examples are available, overall it lacksthe consistency and character of the other varietal wines, mostly offeringstraight forward fruit with some oak influence. Sauvignon Blanc is moreexciting, especially wines coming from the newest vineyard region, Casablanca;crisp and exuberant, they mix fruit and herb flavors in refreshing balance.Vina Casablanca, Carmen and Casa Lapostolle all make vivid Sauvignon Blancs.Caliterra and Miguel Torres are other reliable white-wine producers.
Chilean wines stay mostly within a relatively narrow price band, with thevast majority of wines ranging from about $5 per bottle to nearly $15. Overallyou get what you pay for. Because the soil is fertile and irrigation ispermitted, and often overused, the vines can be made to yield enormous harvests;the result can be simple wines with little concentration or varietal characterat the low end of the price range. But the top wineries are seeking outbetter matches of site and grape variety, reducing yields and improvingtheir vinification methods, so wines in the $8 to $12 range are better nowthan ever.
However, ambitious producers are determined to test both the outer limitsof both quality and price. Currently, Chile's most expensive wine is FinisTerrae, a rich, concentrated Cab-Merlot blend newly released by Cousino-Maculat $40 per bottle. Unfortunately, sometimes Chile's top-priced prestigewines suffer from overoaking and overextraction, and can lose the refreshingdrinkability that is so attractive in the country's wine character. Butimprovements are bound to come rapidly, especially since new players arejumping into the game. For example, California's Kendall-Jackson will soonbe releasing Chilean wines from Vina Calina, while the Robert Mondavi wineryhas teamed up with Errazuriz in a joint venture.
Today Chile's top wineries offer clean, accessible wines in food-friendlystyles at reasonable prices. Because of the country's natural advantagesand economic structure, the bulk of Chile's wines are likely to remain attractivebargains to American wine drinkers. But over the next few years, the topplayers and emerging boutique wineries will push wine quality higher. Withboth California and European investment and interest flooding Chile, itwill be very interesting to view the emergance of the chilean wine stylesof the next century. Look for outstanding wines, still at fair prices, emergingfrom Chile before too long.