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| The climate of Central
Chile, a quality factor |
Chile frequently associated to a “narrow
strip of land”, or a “shoelace”, located in the
wine growing regions between latitudes 33° and 37°
south (with a few exceptions, specified below),
is a territory that was long ago defined as the
“Land of Wine”.
On the west it is bathed by the Pacific Ocean, cooled
by the Humboldt Current that flows up from the South
Pole with very cold water that moderates the temperature
of the whole viticultural central zone of the country,
in addition to the non-vine growing areas in the
south. It is, therefore a narrow country with a
“view to the sea”, a very cold sea, resulting in
little rain in the central region, most of it concentrated
in winter, thus preventing the spread of fungus
diseases. For that reason, preventive or curative
fumigations in Chilean vineyards are no more than
three or four per year, compared to ten that are
indispensable in other wine-producing countries.
This particular climate, which is not found in many
other places, makes it possible for Chile to produce
grape of exceptional quality and, without any doubt,
some of the world’s most organic wines. The possibility
of producing organic wines in Chile is a reality
within easy reach. In fact, there have been successful
experiments that have achieved a balance between
producing a fine wine, and being respectful and
preserving the terroir in which the vines are grown.
On the east we are protected by a towering mountain
range, the Andes, whose highest peals overlook the
city of Santiago. In addition to their beauty, the
mountains have the virtue of first stopping and
then draining the cooling air coming from the ocean
in the west, causing a substantial temperature drop
at night in spring and specially in summer, sometimes
more than 68°F. Therein lies the basic secret of
the great quality of our wines: while during the
daytime the temperature reaches levels slightly
higher than 86°F, at night it drops down to only
about 50°F. In this way, the vines which respond
vigorously to the creative impulse of the strong
sun in spring and specially in summer, in the evening
are suddenly exposed to a cold temperatures that
allow them to “rest”. This means that the biochemical
compounds designed to give the grapes, and the future
wine, their colour, aroma and flavour concentrates
and condenses, giving rise to really superlative
grapes in terms of fragrance and colour quality
(in the red varieties). This is one of the most
famous and outstanding characteristics that make
a deep impression on experts who visit Chile’s vineyards
and evaluate its wines.
It is a water supply that in many cases makes it
possible to manage irrigation without using reservoirs.
Irrigation of the vines is nearly always necessary,
because the lack of rain in spring and summer would
make the hydric stress too big for the plants to
resist. Some very narrow-minded people have tried
to discredit the quality of our wine-making grapes
because they come from artificially irrigated plants.
Our reply to this is that, fortunately, “man’s work”
can intervene in this function, which is of prime
importance for the plant’s balance. Why leave the
supply of water for the plants to the whim of the
climate, when man can make this crucial decision?
At present this argument is even more valid as a
result of the widespread use of technified (or drop-by-drop)
irrigation, which makes it possible to give each
plant exactly the most appropriate time. This last
years, technified irrigation has allowed the use
of land on hill sides which are well-oriented to
receive sunshine and above the level of the irrigation
channels, because by this means the plants can be
provided with water without any problem, in totally
controlled amounts. This has led to the discovery
of new terroirs which are bringing great honour
to Chilean wine, and will continue to do so in the
future.
We therefore conclude that Central Chile is the
“Land of Wine” because its climate has:
a.Four clearly differentiated seasons.
b.Temperature levels which are adequate and sufficient
for cultivating vines, and cold winters necessary
for their dormancy.
c.Little rain in spring and almost none I summer
and autumn, allowing such a positive level of plant
health that there is almost nowhere in the world
comparable to it.
d.A wild thermal range which gives our wines their
colour and aroma, enveloping them with exceptional
qualities and refinement, and making them original
and distinctive.
e.Low or nil incidence of frost in spring.
Therefore, what we have defined as the “Land of
Wine” is the total sum of an infinite number of
terroirs, which produce the character typical of
Chilean wine. At this point in our analysis it becomes
necessary to refer specifically to what is known
as a terroir.
Terroir
For purposes of grapevine cultivation, terroir is
a very specific and well-defined place within the
vineyard, generally of small size. Here, a wide
range of positive environmental conditions for grapevine
cultivation converge, such as: daytime and night-time
temperatures, adequate sunshine, appropriate soil
characteristics regarding drainage, fertility, relief,
height above sea level, defense against strong winds,
and a series of other detectable natural conditions
and, of course, others which are unknown.
However, this is not enough: if a terroir is to
display all its goodness, “man’s work” is indispensable.
It is he who discovers the existence of an adequate
terroir, either by technical means or intuition,
and delimits it. He plants the most appropriate
grape varieties, waters them, cultivates them and
cares for them within ideal parameters. He harvests
the grapes at the precise moment, processes them
and obtains the must that ferments under perfect
conditions to produce the finest wines. With equal
care he nurtures or processes it, bottles it and
ages it for the time needed to obtain the maximum
expression of good quality. |
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