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Importers of Fine Wines Since 1919 | Resources for the Trade |
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Where the vines are…There are five main grape growing regions in Chile:
These regions are further divided into separate valleys. Atacama:The grapes from the arid Atacama region are not used for table wine. They are distilled into brandy or Pisco, Chile’s national wine-based, distilled spirit. Coquimbo:The region of Coquimbo is the transitional ground from desert climate to Mediterranean climate. It is subdivided into the Elqui, Limarí, and Choapa Valleys, named after the rivers that run through them.
The more inland valleys of Elqui and Choapa deal with more heat and less moisture. Only their eastern flanks are bathed in the cool air masses descending from the Andes. Aconcagua:The Aconcagua region is subdivided into three principal valleys: Aconcagua, Casablanca and San Antonio.
Casablanca is close to the coast and is impacted by fog and mist. This is the coolest wine region in Chile—and relatively new. Vines went into the ground in the early 1980s. Approximately one-quarter of all Chile’s Chardonnay is planted here as well as a significant amount of Chile’s Pinot Noir. San Antonio is also an up and coming wine-growing area. Temperatures are moderated by sea breezes and the soils are thin and rocky providing the wines with a pronounced minerality. Pinot Noir has been planted here in the hopes of taking advantage of the valley’s long growing season.
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The valleys of Chile are transverse, i.e. they are east-west oriented within the north-south basin between the Andes and the Coastal Range. The north is a landscape filled with cacti and cinnamon trees..
The cool fog at dawn is called Camanchaca These northern valleys of Elqui, Limari' and Choapa are close to the equator and therefore are warmer than their southern counterparts. Remember, in the Southern Hemisphere, everything is reversed! North is warm; south is cool.
Mt. Aconcagua, stately standing among the Andean range flanking the Aconcagua region, is the highest mountain peak in the western hemisphere. Within Aconcagua itself are the wine growing areas of Panquehue, San Felipe and Los Andes. The very first recorded vintage in Chiles history was produced in the Aconcagua Valley in 1551. Chiles rivers have relatively limited navigability due to numerous falls as they descend from the Andes. All flow westward to the Pacific. 
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Limarí extends to the coast and is characterized by mist, humidity and moderate to cooler temperatures thanks to the influence of the Humboldt Current. This area has created recently created much excitement in the wine world for producing captivating wines like Maycas del Limari'.
The Aconcagua Valley is fed by the Aconcagua River. It is both hot and dry. Cloud cover is rare.
Wild donkeys live in the Andean foothills.