Chile
When winemakers die, they dream of going to Chile. Here, you have the perfect climate for wine growing: the combination of sheltering peaks on one side and a cooling ocean on the other (usually only a few miles apart) means that right along the Andes it is possible to find cool temperatures, plenty of sunshine and abundant water from melting snow. Chile remains virtually pest and disease free — in the vineyards at least!
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Horseback inspection of the Aresti Vineyards, Curico Valley, Chile.
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The best Chilean wines have
a clarity or flawlessness of flavor. Almost every vintage is a great vintage. The
classic areas are Maipo, Maule, Rapel and Curico, collectively known as the Central
Valley. Tarapaca and Torrealba are our favorite producers there. We've also been
impressed by developments in cool Casablanca (perfect Sauvignon country), warm Colchagua
(brilliant for Cabernet and Merlot and due, we're sure, to become very fashionable)
and, most recently, the dramatic Elqui valley, where grapes are grown at almost
impossibly high altitudes above the Atacama Desert.
