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The ultimate guide to Pinot Noir in South America

by Amanda Barnes August 18, 2022

written by Amanda Barnes

As we celebrate Pinot Noir Day this 18th August, we wanted to bring you the ultimate guide to Pinot Noir in South America. If you are looking for the best Pinot Noir in Chile or the best Pinot Noir in Argentina, we’ve got you covered in our guide to this elusive grape in the major wine regions of South America.

Guide to Pinot Noir in Chile

Hectares planted: 4,143 hectares in Chile

Often seen as the holy grail of wines, Pinot Noir is notoriously difficult. If you get it wrong, you can make a rather bland wine. But if you get it right, it can be among the world’s most thrilling. Over the last 20 years, Chilean winemakers have been gradually coaxing their Pinot Noir from the former camp to the latter. This recent quantum leap in Chilean Pinot Noir quality reflects this generation’s greater understanding of Chile’s diverse climate types and soils, better genetic material in the vineyard and more sensitive winemaking in the cellar.

August 18, 2022 0 comment

Guide to Chardonnay in South America, best wines from Chile, Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil

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The ultimate guide to Chardonnay wines in South America

by Amanda Barnes May 25, 2022

written by Amanda Barnes

As we celebrate Chardonnay Day this 26th May, we wanted to bring you the ultimate guide to Chardonnay in South America. Chardonnay is one of the world’s most-planted grape varieties and comes in all styles from almost every wine country. Ranging from tropical fruit aromas such as pineapple and melon in warmer climates, to citrusy notes of lemon and apple in cool climates, Chardonnay is grown in diverse wine regions from the heartland of Chablis and Burgundy to New World wine meccas of California and Margaret River. In South America too Chardonnay is one of the most important grape varieties, and in recent years has gained recognition for producing some of the most exciting wines in Chile and Argentina with Limari and the Uco Valley, in particular, standing out for top quality.

Chardonnay isn’t only important in terms of still wines but it is also the backbone of the best bubblies in Brazil, as well as for sparkling wines in Argentina, Chile and Uruguay. Plantings of Chardonnay are relatively small in Bolivia and Peru, but it is still well-loved in every wine country of South America.

Guide to Chardonnay in Chile

Hectares planted: 10,920 hectares

Key descriptors

Medium lemon in colour. Aromas of minerals, white peaches, green apple & fennel, depending on the region. Dry with mouth-watering (high) acidity, and medium to full body.

Winemaking styles

Top examples are typically fermented or aged in French oak barrels to add complexity and palate weight. Mostly monovarietal, around 13.5%.

Although Chardonnay has a long history in Chile, it wasn’t until the major quality revolution of the last decade that we began to see this notoriously challenging variety step out into the limelight. Previously Chilean Chardonnay suffered from widespread mediocrity, but I feel that over the last five years Chile has been producing some thrilling Chardonnay.

May 25, 2022 0 comment

COW Chilean organic winegrowers association launched

Chile Features Wine

Introducing COW: Chilean Organic Winegrowers

by Amanda Barnes May 24, 2022

written by Amanda Barnes

Chile’s top organic winegrowers and wineries have come together to launch their own organic wine association — COW, standing for Chilean Organic Winegrowers.

Officially announced earlier this month, the association comprises some of the leading organic wine estates in Chile including: Emiliana, Cono Sur, Koyle, Matetic, Miguel Torres Chile, Odfjell, Veramonte and De Martino.

Together with the support of Wines of Chile, the group will focus on developing research into organic viticulture and wine production and promote Chilean organic wines, raising awareness for greater sustainability in the vineyard and winery.

May 24, 2022 0 comment

discover Itata wine region in Chile with South America Wine Guide by Amanda Barnes

Featured Posts Chile Features Chile Wine Guide Wine Itata

Guide to Itata wine region & wines

by Amanda Barnes May 2, 2022

written by Amanda Barnes

Itata is one of Chile’s most unique wine regions with some of the highest concentrations of old vines in the Americas. With bucolic green hills dappled with old vines and colourful farmhouses sitting at the top of each pasture, Itata is a stalwart of artisanal winemaking in Chile.

Guide to Itata in Southern Chile

If you drive around Itata, you’ll pass people travelling by horse and cart, families who make their living by selling their garden vegetables by the side of the road, and craftswomen who make ceramics just as their forbears did. Part of Itata’s charm is this simple way of life, and these small, idiosyncratic vineyards and wine families are a complete contrast to the manicured vineyard rows, industrialised estates and ginormous wineries further north.

The combination of old vines, milder temperatures and this authentic way and pace of life has attracted many of Chile’s top winemakers to venture into Itata to make a host of interesting wines. With a patchwork of coastal hills and river valleys, and a mix of very old and very new vineyards, there is quite a lot of diversity to Itata as a wine region.

Old vines in Itata Valley

Old País and Moscatel de Alejandría vines together account for 70% of Itata’s vineyard area (each with around 3,500 hectares), and are often made into natural or low-intervention wines. There are also excellent wines being made from old vine Semillon, Cinsault and some field blends. Naturally low vigour means these old vines are offering some of the most distinctive, and concentrated, wine styles of Itata.

There are, however, also a handful of new vineyards planted in Itata: including notable wines made from Chardonnay and Riesling.

May 2, 2022 0 comment

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