Although historically wine production
in Chile began in the southern and central northern
zones, in fact the beginning of its development
on a large scale took place in the southern region.
Here almost all the vineyards are unirrigated (i.e.
without artificial watering systems) and were therefore
able to thrive when irrigation was a rarity in the
central part of Chile. The so-called “Southern Region”is
subdivided into the valleys of the Itata and the
Bio Bio. Nowadays there are 12047 hectares under
vine in the whole region.
The Itata valley includes four areas: Chillan(Andes),
Quillon and Potezuelo (Inter Andes-Pacific) and
Coelemu (Pacific). In this valley the thermal range
that has such a strong effect on the big central
valleys is particularly marked, which explains Why
the urban district of Chillan is one of the hottest
in Chile, even though it is almost 450 kilometers
south of Santiago. In general the possibilities
for grape growing in this valley are similar to
those for the various grape varieties present in
the zones further north, with a predominance of
Pais and Muscatel of Alexandria.
Perhaps the most relevant characteristic of this
valley is that the vineyards are extremely fragmented
and at the same time produce a low unit yield (they
are not irrigated except in a few exceptional cases).
This proves the enormous social significance for
wine-production in this region and makes it an regent
necessity to replace the varieties that are currently
predominant, such as Pais (3,581 hectares) and Muscatel
of Alexandria (5,016 hectares) which are very rustic
and difficult to market outside the zone.
The Bio Bio Valley includes the areas of Yumbel
(Inter Andes-Pacific) and Mulchen (Andes). The most
relevant characteristic of this valley is that the
thermal accumulation is considerably lower, which
makes it suitable for growing white varieties such
as Chardonnay, Gewurztraminer and Riesling, with
notable results. The red Pinot Noir also thrives
here.
The Mulchen area is one of the coldest and rainier
sectors of all the wine-producing valleys in Chile.
This area has very similar climatic conditions to
those of the famous Medoc in France. It is interesting
to note that if the grape varieties Cabernet Sauvignon,
Merlot, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc were to
be grown in this zone, it would be necessary to
use the enological techniques known as chaptalization
(adding sugar to the must to market up for the low
alcohol content of the grapes). These are used routinely
in the Medoc region and are forbidden by Chilean
wine-production legislation. If the legislation
were to be relaxed with regard to these enological
practices, it might encourage the cultivation of
fine red grape varieties in this very under-expoited
area, and the production of wines with a different
character, specific to this area of Chile.
The Yumbel area is an Inter Andes-Pacific sectors,
protected from the moisture-laden winds from the
sea by the nahuelbuta range to the west. This sector
is also under-exploited and consists mainly of small,
unirrigated vineyards growing the Pais variety.
Further south, towards the area of Negrete, the
great height of the Nahuelbuta Range provides sufficient
warmth to allow the cultivation of fine red grape
varieties without the need to chaptalize. From this
point onwards, the winds start blowing and become
stronger towards the south.
The Bio Bio Valley is an open door to new climatic
characteristics unknown in the traditional regions,
suitable for new white varieties and reds such as
Pinot Noir. At present there are 450 hectares of
Pinot Noir in the Bio Bio Valley and 86 hectares
of Cabernet Sauvignon. |
