We have called this valley, together
with the previous one, the “center of gravity” of
Chilean wine-production. It is also the frontier
of Chile’s vine-growing conversion. It also totals
the respectable area of 25,446 hectares under vine,
where almost all the main varieties existing in
the country are grown, plus other less usual varieties,
such as Carignan among the reds and Riesling among
the whites. It is also the cradle of Chile’s emblematic
grape variety: Carménère, in the Clemente area.
The Maule Valley is characterized by having the
widest climatic diversity of all the vine-growing
areas in Chile, which, in conjunction with a wide
range of soils, produces an almost infinite range
of combinations in which to find potential terroirs
with distinctive features.
It is worth mentioning the total or partial conversion
that has taken place over the past 10years among
many of the traditional producers of bulk wines
for large-scale consumption, towards producing fine
export-grade wines. The investment made by the great
Chilean wine-exporters and other foreign investors
is also important, confirming the potential of this
area for fine wine production.
This valley is made up of three zones: the Claro
valley, the Loncomilla valley and the Tutuven valley.
The Claro valley comprises the areas of San Rafael
and San Clemente, affected by an obvious Andean
influence which increases as one gets closer to
the foothills, and the area of Talca, Maule and
Pencahue, with a temperate climate. In the Talca
area the heat increases as one approaches the coastal
range, with the area around Pencahue being the place
of choice for growing red grape varieties.
A little further south than the Claro river is the
Loncemilla valley, a zone with very special characteristics,
because the great range of temperature along its
length clearly indicates an inter Andes-Pacific
sector and one Andes sector. The inter Andes-Pacific
sector, made up of the areas round San Javier, Villa
Alegre and Melozal, has a Mediterranean climate
with soils made up mostly of clay, sand and gravel
originated from glacial rivers and lakes. In these
areas there is a predominance of red grape varieties,
occupying an 80% of the land. The Andes sector consists
of the area of Pinares and Parral, with a small
area under vine due to the cold climate, which is
accentuated as one approaches the Andean foothills.
Towards the west is the Tutuven Valley, which basically
includes the Cauquenes area, making up the Pacific
sector. The vineyards in this area are almost all
unirrigated (watered only by the rain), trained
using the “head” system (which consists of arranging
the trained vines in a kind of bush) and grow predominantly
the rustic grape variety, Pais. Vine-growing here
is absolutely essential from a social point of view,
because there is no other viable agricultural activity,
and no other in view for the time being.
The availability of water for irrigation in the
Maule Valley is adequate in the Calro and Loncomilla
Valleys, because they depend mainly on the Maule
River, whose hydro-graphic system is one of the
most important in the country.
Rainfall varies from 700 to over 1,000 mm, depending
on the proximity to the sea. It becomes heavier
as one approaches the Andes range and the altitude
increases. The sectors with least rainfall are those
on the western slopes of the Coastal Range.
Wine-production is a way of life at all social levels,
so its importance is enormous from a socio-economic
point of view. The economic success of the region,
and therefore the welfare of its inhabitants depends
to a very large extent on the fate or prosperity
of vine-growing and wine-production. |
