Casablanca Valley Wine

Just south of Aconcagua Valley lies Chile’s most premium white wine region, the Casablanca Valley which was planted in the 1980s. It is one of Chile's coolest climate wine regions, close to the sea port of Valparaiso and therefore at the mercy of the cool breezes off the Pacific ocean in the form of the Humboldt current which flows up from the Antarctic. Hills to the north and east help trap this cool air in the region intensifying the effect.

One of the draw backs of such a cool region is that frost risk is one of the highest in Chile, particularly at night time. However, the trade off is premium whites. The microclimate permits a far longer and slower ripening time for the grapes which results in wines which are fine, elegant, restrained, aromatic and structured. The best wines tend to be Sauvignon Blanc and unoaked Chardonnay. But, it's also able to make some superbly racy Riesling and Viognier wines. For the reds it is really Pinot Noir and Syrah that are best suited here, and high-quality that are too.