Wine Country

Just west of Santiago lies a rich agricultural region known as the Central Valley. This is the heart of Chile’s wine industry, which, after years of producing more wine in quantity than of quality, has taken its place amid the great producers of the world. It’s no longer difficult to find elegant, exciting, character-rich Chilean wines that are expressive of the region from which they come.

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Enjoyable Wineries

I very much enjoyed visiting the Montes winery, set among verdant vineyards ringed by a mountain range. This is a much larger facility than Clos Apalta, and it has a more industrial look and feel inside. But in no way does that affect the caliber of the wines, which is high indeed. 

Montes first made its mark with its signature Alpha Cabernet Sauvignon and has gone on to create a wide-ranging portfolio. I also recommend stopping at the Neyen vineyards. In 2002, the owners decided to make wine themselves and built a facility that echoes an old adobe structure for that purpose. Walking through the vineyards on the tour, I had the thrill of seeing gnarled vines that were more than 120 years old and still producing abundant fruit. 

Lunch Options Abound

The historic Santa Rita winery makes for a fine stop between Santiago and my recommended wine-country hotels. In addition to touring the winery and doing a tasting, visitors can have lunch in the atmospheric Doña Paula Restaurant, designated a Chilean National Monument, or buy light meals from the new Café La Panadería. Guests can also book the memorable “winemaker” tour, where they create their own signature wine blend that they then bottle, cork and label.

Climate Impact on Wine

Chile has huge climatic variation, and not just because of the country’s length. The Andes and the ocean have at least as much impact on a vineyard site as its latitude does. Many wine labels now indicate vineyard locations with the terms “Costa” (near the sea), “Entre Cordilleras” (in the center) and “Andes” (closer to the mountains). Regions near Chile’s coast are now some of the most fashionable, and several vintners there produce top-quality sparkling wines made in the Champenoise method.