Facebook pixel
Select Page

Central Valley Wine Region

The Largest Wine Region in Chile

Central Valley is among the largest wine regions in Chile, stretching from the ‘Maipo Valley’ in the north to the ‘Maule Valley’ in the south.

It is also one of the most important wine regions in the whole South American Continent when it comes to the quantity of wine production.

This region, which is about 400 kilometers in distance, is producing a wide range of wine styles.

Wines
Vineyards
Wine grape varieties

Also, it is found to be home to a variety of grapes, although the plantings are being dominated by the international varieties.

Let’s have a look at the viticulture of Central Valley here…

Sub-Regions of Central Valley:

As this huge region has various types of terroirs and microclimates within it, it’s difficult to see the viticulture in the Central Valley as a single entity.

So, I will divide the whole Central Valley into four sub-regions starting from north or south to explain about the viticulture in each part of the valley.

The sub-regions of the Central Valley are:

Maipo Valley

This is the part of the Central Valley that is located just south of Santiago. I would call this region as the home of prestigious wine and wine critics often describe this as the Bordeaux of South America.

The whole Maipo Valley can be further divided into three broader regions, which are namely:

  • Alto Maipo
  • Central Maipo
  • Maipo Bajo

Of these, Alto Maipo is bearing the most prestigious vineyards.

When it comes to grape varieties, richer and fruitier Cabernet Sauvignon is the most celebrated grape varieties here.

Apart from this, we can find some substantial plantings of Carmenere in the Central Maipo region.

The other grape varieties that can be seen in the Maipo Valley are:

  • Merlot
  • Syrah
  • Chardonnay
  • Sauvignon Blanc

Rapel Valley:

This is a larger wine-producing region in Central Valley and is accounting for most a quarter of the total wines from Chile.

This region again has two sub-regions, which are namely:

  • Colchagua valley
  • Cachapoal valley

The Rapel valley as a whole is producing a wide variety of wine styles that ranges from everyday wines to the costliest wine styles.

In this region again, Cabernet Sauvignon and Carmenere are among the key grape varieties along with Syrah in the list.

Although red varieties are found to be dominating in the Rapel valley wines, we can also find some white varieties like Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc here.

Curicó Valley:

This, which is located in the central part of Chile, is again divided into two sub-regions which are:

  • Teno
  • Lontue

This part of the Central Valley is particularly famous for its everyday red wines from Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc grape varieties.

However, the vineyards in this part of the Central Valley are found to be planted with several varieties than anywhere in the country.

This can be attributed to the varied climatic conditions experienced by the valley.

Wines from Central Valley

Chile Red Wine - Chile White Wine - Chile Rosé Wines - Chile Dessert Wines

Vineyards
Breweries
Alcohol and Distilleries

Maule Valley:

This is again a larger wine-producing region in the Central Valley, which is having 75,000 acres of land under vine cultivation.

Traditionally, this region has been associated with higher quantities of wine production.

But today, the high-yielding ‘Pais’ grape variety is being gradually replaced by the international varieties like ‘Cabernet Sauvignon’ and ‘Carmenere’.

Some of the world-class wines are also found to be produced here from ‘Carignan’ grape variety now.

The other plantations in the Maule valley include the following:

· Malbec
· Merlot
· Cabernet Franc
· Syrah
· Sauvignon Blanc
· Chardonnay
· Pinot Noir
· Mission

Experimental Grape Varieties of Central Valley:

Apart from the grape varieties that are mentioned above, there are some grape varieties which are in the experimental phase in the Central Valley. Such varieties are:

· Viognier
· Riesling
· Gewürztraminer

[mr_rating_form]

Author

Tharani Rajamanickam

Tharani Rajamanickam

Winewriter

I am Tharani, I have Bachelors degree in Biotechnology. I am passionate about the wine industry and continue to explore, learn and share and I bring in a wealth of knowledge and expertise to help you keep updated with best wines in the world. Stay tuned..

Are you a Copywriter?

We have a lot of articles without much content, if you can do it better, you are welcome to write a nice article, and get the proper credit for that. Read more information about beeing an author, and Contact us for more information.

0 Comments

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Vineyards in Piedmont, Italy

No Results Found

The page you requested could not be found. Try refining your search, or use the navigation above to locate the post.

Read also about other Wine Regions

Italian Wine Regions

Argentina Wine Regions

French Wine Regions

Chile Wine Regions

Australia Wine Regions

Spanish Wine Regions

US Wine Regions

 

New Zealand Regions

 

Wine Grape Varieties
Wine Informations
Wine Merchants

Visit the Region