|
Chilean Wines
You would think, considering Chile's links to Spain, that Chile's
wine would be chiefly influenced by Spanish wineries, but actually
it is the French who have had the biggest hand in the Chilean
wine industry, in particular the Bordeaux region. It was just
before to the French phylloxera epidemic when the big Chilean
landowners visited France and experiemced some of France's larger
vineyards. The Chilean wine makers were so impressed they began
importing French vines to plant on their land. Thus, upon the
outbreak of phylloxera in France, the newly formed Chilean vineyards
took full advantage and gre rapidl. The twist in the tale is
that some ruined French winemakers then emigrated to South America,
taking their experience and honed techniques to many South American
vineyards, including Chile..
Now, over twenty varieties of grape are grown in Chile with
many wineries increasing output and improving the quality every
year. Pais has been the most widely planted vine, but other
red wine varieties include Merlot, Carménère,
Zinfandel, Petite Sirah, Cabernet franc, Pinot noir, Syrah,
Sangiovese, Barbera, Malbec, and Carignan with white wine varieties
including Chardonnay, Sauvignon blanc, Sauvignon vert, Sémillon,
Riesling, Viognier, Torontel, Pedro Ximénez, Gewürztraminer
and Muscat of Alexandria.
|
