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The ultimate guide to Syrah wines in Chile, Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay
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The ultimate guide to Syrah in South America

by Amanda Barnes
written by Amanda Barnes

Syrah is one of the ultimate terroir hunting grapes, and has made a home in several distinctive terroirs in South America. As we celebrate Syrah Day this 16th February, we wanted to bring you the ultimate guide to Syrah in South America and the best wines to try from Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and Brazil.

Ever since its introduction into the continent over a hundred years ago, it has found a home and quite unique expressions in the coastal regions of Chile, the Andes and mountainous wine regions of Argentina and Chile, and also in the coastal wine regions of Uruguay and some new high-altitude expressions in Brazil.

 

 

Guide to Syrah in Chile

Hectares planted: 7,400 hectares
Key descriptors

Deep ruby/violet colour. Aromas of black olives, violets, black pepper & cassis. Dry with lively acidity (high), fine, spicy tannins (medium +), and full body.

Best Syrah wines in South America
Viñedos de Alcohuaz in Elqui, one of the best Chilean Syrah producers

Chilean Syrah can be incredibly exciting. It comes from widely diverse wine regions, so you can taste cool-coast Syrah with tightrope acidity and meaty, black olive flavours from the likes of Limarí or Leyda, or plush Syrah filled to the brim with juicy black fruit from the warmth of the central valleys such as Apalta, or spicy mountain Syrah from the heights of the Andes in Elqui and Aconcagua. As a variety that really transmits terroir, Syrah in Chile can offer a thrilling journey through its wine regions.

Being incredibly versatile as a variety means that Syrah is widely planted around the different wine regions and, of course, there are some less exciting Syrah wines at the lower end — often blended with Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon — but it always offers great value at every price point. An emerging trend of Mediterranean-style blends with Garnacha, Mourvèdre and Petite Sirah is also very exciting. If you taste some of the wines at the top end, you get some wonderfully diverse expressions from the different regions.

See our favourite Chilean Syrah wines below!

Favourite Chilean Syrah producers

Matetic, Villard, Polkura, Lapostolle Collection, Viñedos de Alcohuaz, San Pedro 1865, Tabalí, Montes, Errázuriz, Falernia, Kingston, Casa Marín, Leyda, Undurraga TH

 

 

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Guide to the wine regions of Argentina: Salta, Cafayate, Caclhaqui valleys, Maipu, Lujan de Cuyo, Uco Valley, Mendoza, Patagonia, Buenos Aires. The ultimate wine guide to Argentina
Featured ArgentinaArgentina Wine GuideArgentina Features

Guide to the wine regions of Argentina

by Amanda Barnes
written by Amanda Barnes

Check out our ultimate Argentina wine guide and get to know everything about the terroir and the wine regions of Argentina. 

 

Guide to wine regions of Argentina
Facts on Argentine wine
Northern Argentina wine regions: Salta, Catamarca & Jujuy
Cuyo wine regions: Mendoza, San Juan, San Rafael, La Rioja
Patagonia wine regions: Neuquen, Rio Negro & Chubut
Central & Atlantic Argentina wine regions
Map of Argentina’s wine regions

 

Most of Argentina’s wine regions are located along the western edge of the country, in the foothills of the Andes mountains that form a natural frontier with Chile. The foothills offer the ideal natural landscape for vineyards to be able to thrive in the desert, as they slope gently downwards and are irrigated by the rivers carrying snowmelt from the Andes down to the arid plains below.

From Río Negro in the south to Salta and Jujuy in the far north, most of Argentina’s wine regions share this dry, warm and sunny mountain climate and gradually sloping alluvial soils. However in recent years we’ve seen a steady growth and diversification of Argentina’s wine regions, expanding further south into Patagonia as well as eastwards into the Pampa and Buenos Aires.

The wine regions of Argentina: Salta, Cafayate, Caclhaqui valleys, Maipu, Lujan de Cuyo, Uco Valley, Mendoza, Patagonia, Buenos Aires
Colomé vineyard in Salta. Photo by Stephane Rampon

 

Key Facts on Argentine wine

  • Hectares planted: 197,965
  • Producers: <900 wineries; 23,699 vineyards
  • Production: 1.1 billion litres of wine (2020)
  • Wine regions: Jujuy (42 ha); Calchaquí Valleys (4,468 ha); Catamarca Valleys (1,721 ha); La Rioja (6,539 ha); San Juan (31,960 ha); Mendoza (149,002 ha); San Luis (107 ha); Neuquén (1,764 ha); Río Negro (1,526 ha); Chubut (87 ha); La Pampa (279 ha); Córdoba (261 ha); Buenos Aires (148 ha); Entre Rios (49 ha); Misiones (12 ha); Santiago del Estero (1 ha)
  • Most-planted varieties: Malbec, Cereza, Bonarda, Cabernet Sauvignon, Criolla Grande, Syrah, Torrontés, Pedro Giménez, Chardonnay, Tempranillo

 

The wine regions of Argentina


Northern Argentina

Jujuy

At the northernmost tip of Argentina, Jujuy is, in a word, extreme. Bordering southern Bolivia and the edge of Chile’s Atacama region, Jujuy has both jungle and desert salt flats but it is largely dominated by the high plateau of the altiplano which scales up to altitudes of over 5,000 metres.

The wine regions and vineyards of Jujuy are mainly in the narrow 80 km-long mountain valley and canyon of Quebrada de Humahuaca and the warmer valleys in the south known as the Valles Templados. Although there aren’t many vineyards in Jujuy (the region has just 42 hectares to date), Jujuy claims some of the highest-altitude vineyards in the world.

The wine regions of Argentina: Salta, Cafayate, Caclhaqui valleys, Maipu, Lujan de Cuyo, Uco Valley, Mendoza, Patagonia, Buenos Aires
Vineyards in Jujuy
Calchaquí Valleys

The Calchaquí Valleys is one of Argentina’s most extraordinary wine regions and it has, remarkably, been producing wine for hundreds of years, despite the challenges of its high altitude and remote nature.

Old vines can be found throughout this string of mountain valleys which runs north to south, spanning over 270 km and three of Argentina’s provinces: Salta, Tucumán and Catamarca. The Calchaquí Valleys may only represent 2% of the country’s vineyards, but it claims a disproportionate share of Argentina’s wine awards — and with good reason, I say. High-altitude viticulture can be hard work, but it certainly reaps the benefits of distinctive personality and I never fail to be impressed by the incredible value and quality of Calchaquí wines.

Read more in our Guide to the Calchaquí Valleys wine region

Valleys of Catamarca

With over three-quarters of the province covered by mountains, Catamarca’s wine regions are unsurprisingly defined by their mountains and moderated by their altitude. Although Catamarca’s vineyard area is impressive in size, the wines are sadly less so. The province is a major producer of juice – so you won’t find as much wine coming out of Catamarca as you might expect – and also jug wine. Some of the better known wine regions of Catamarca are within the Calchaqui Valleys.

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Serra da mantiqueira wine region in Brazil
Brazil FeaturesTravel BrazilWine Region GuidesWineBrazil Wine Guide

A new frontier for Brazilian wine: Serra da Mantiqueira mountain wines

by Amanda Barnes
written by Amanda Barnes

Two of my ultimate vices, wine and coffee, are rarely produced in the same area but in Brazil’s Serra de Mantiqueira region, coffee plantations and vineyards can be within metres of one another. As can banana trees and grapevines for that matter. This is the new frontier for Brazilian wine — the high-altitude wine regions of Serra da Mantiqueira which spans across Minas Gerais, São Paolo and Rio de Janeiro.

The ultimate guide to the Serra da Mantiqueira wine region

The Mantiqueira mountains, which span 320 km and reach a peak at 2,798 m.a.s.l., have a special mesoclimate that makes a wide range of cultivations possible. This mountainous wine region is not only a haven for wildlife and a mecca for outdoor adventure sports but it is also fast becoming a hub for some of the more interesting wines being produced in Brazil. This is not because of its tropical climate but, in fact, because of its dry, sunny and mild winters.

Winters… Have I lost you? Why mention winters, when surely for wine production it is the hot, wet summer that matters? Up until just a decade ago, that was exactly the problem with these wine regions — the summer and ergo the time for harvesting the grapes was hot and humid, meaning that only early-ripening varieties like Riesling Itálico or those harvested early for sparkling wine could be picked in time before the summer rain set in.

But Serra da Mantiqueira has become renowned today for some of the most exciting red wines in Brazil. This is thanks to the development of the innovative winter harvest technique has been a game-changer for the region. By switching the harvest period from summer to winter, growers are able to take advantage of the spotless blue skies, sunny days and cool nights of the winter months to make wines of character and concentration — creating a boom in quality wines and a real buzz about the potential of this region. It has rapidly changed the shape and reputation of Brazilian wine.

Syrah is undoubtedly the champion of this new wine region for now, although I’ve tasted promising winter harvest Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Sauvignon Blanc and Viognier too. That said, Syrah is the ideal pairing for the rich pork dishes so typical of the Mantiqueira mountains.

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The wine regions of Peru: Lima, Ica, Arequipa, Moquegua, Tacna.
Featured PostsPeru FeaturesFeatured PeruPeru Wine Guide

Guide to wine regions of Peru

by Amanda Barnes
written by Amanda Barnes

The wine regions of Peru are some of the most extreme and memorable in South America. Check out our ultimate Peru wine guide and get to know everything about the terroir of this historic wine nation and the modern wines of Peru.

 

Guide to wine regions & wines of Peru
Facts on Peruvian wine
Lima wine region
Ica wine region
Arequipa wine region
Moquegua wine region
Tacna & Sierras del Peru wine region
Map of Peru

 

Ultimate guide to wine regions & wines of Peru

The guide to the wine regions in Peru, The Peru Wine Guide.

Most of Peru’s vineyards hug the coast running south from Lima, where the lower-altitude, coastal regions of Lima, Ica, Arequipa, Moquegua and Tacna provide have provided the ideal climate for Pisco production over the past four centuries.

Traditional Pisco and Criolla varieties dominate, with Quebranta, Mollar, Albilla, Negra Criolla and Moscatel as the top varieties planted throughout Peru’s wine regions. These varieties are largely made into Pisco, but there is also an exciting and growing tendency towards making artisanal, dry wines from Criolla varieties.

In Ica, Peru’s most important and concentrated wine region, you’ll also find Peru’s most diverse range of international grape varieties.

 

 

 

Fast Facts on Peruvian wine

  • Hectares planted: 29,000*
  • Producers: 10,000* growers
  • Usage of grapes: table grapes 65%; Pisco 27%; wine <7%
  • Wine regions: Ica (7,600 ha); Lima (2,950 ha); Arequipa (1,300 ha); Moquegua (870 ha); Tacna (810 ha); Sierra del Perú (<100 ha)
  • Most-planted varieties: Quebranta, Italia, Albilla, Negra Criolla, Mollar, Moscatel, Torontel, Uvina, Isabella

*Statistics include table grapes and grapes for Pisco production.

 

The wine regions of Peru

Lima

Although there are vines planted throughout the region of Lima, over 80% of Lima’s grape production is concentrated in Cañete — and in particular around Lunahuaná — which is the southernmost sub-region by the coast, just above Ica. The vast majority of wine grapes in Lima end up being used for Pisco production, although there is a small amount of wine production too. It is more typically Borgoña wine though, from the hybrid varieties of Isabella and Niagara respectively, although there is growing interest in making fine wines.

 

Ica

Even though Ica is the heartland of Peruvian wine production, it is one of those off-the-beaten-track wine destinations. Tacama claims to be the oldest active vineyard in the New World, set up in the 1540s by Francisco de Carabantes. It is also one of Peru’s most visited wineries, along with nearby Intipalka. There are also a host of smaller wineries in Ica too, and a growing scene of natural wine producers here including Bodega Murga and Mimo.

Read more about Ica in our ultimate guide to wine in Ica

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