These are boom times for the vineyards of Chile. The latest figures from the International Organization of Vine and Wine reveal a record year for the South American nation, with wine production up 23 percent.
Chilean wine has long been considered good value for money, a reliable, inexpensive, and safe everyday option. But there’s far more to it than budget Sauvignon Blancs; you can also find wines of far superior quality. Jane MacQuitty, in her weekly wine page in The Times (of London), for example, has just recommended the 2012 Montes Purple Angel carmenere, which retails for about $46 (keep it for five years before drinking).
Wine Spectator, the top wine magazine in the United States, meanwhile, made Lapostolle Clos Apalta 2005 its Wine of the Year in 2008. The price of Clos Apalta depends on the harvest year, but starts at around $62. Wine Spectator also tends to include Concha y Toro’s Don Melchor among the top ten wines in the world. Don’t ask the price: the best harvests are simply unavailable.
A Land of Plenty
A combination of reasons explains the successful growth of the Chilean wine industry. Geographical diversity helps. The first good Chilean wines were made in the fertile valleys in the country’s center. But more recently it has been found that many wines improve when the vineyards are close to the Pacific Ocean, for example, or at high altitude in the Andes, or up the hillsides instead of down at the valley bottom, or in particular types of soil. There are a lot of variables.
Old wine areas, abandoned for decades or even centuries, have been rediscovered, and completely new areas identified. New grape varieties are tested and new technologies developed or invested in.
