Drinks Atlas: Chilean Wine

Illustration: Matty Newton

April 30, 2025

With arid deserts, cool mountain breezes, and an impossibly long coastline, Chile has a dynamic wine scene that defies viticultural shorthands like “warm-climate” or “high-altitude.” The Central Valley, one of the country’s most commercially established wine regions, encompasses several subregions with distinct terroirs and winemaking identities.

Within this stretch lies the Maipo Valley, which many consider to be the birthplace of Chile’s modern wine industry. Flanked by the Andes to the east, and extending almost all the way to the Pacific coast, it has a Mediterranean climate with warm summers and cold, wet winters.

In Maipo, Cabernet Sauvignon reigns supreme, joined by similarly robust reds like Syrah and Carménère. Centuries-old estates like Concha y Toro and Viña Santa Rita craft big, bold, varietal and blended red wines in the area’s diverse alluvial, gravelly, and sandy soils.

The nearby Rapel Valley, also part of the Central Valley, is subdivided into the northern Cachapoal and southern Colchagua Valleys. These areas are home to some of the country’s “largest and best-known production vineyards,” says Katherine Hidalgo, co-owner of Bocanaríz, a hip wine bar in Santiago’s Lastarria neighborhood. “However, there are also some smaller vineyards with organic and biodynamic operations” devoted to sustainable, site-specific winemaking.

As in other Chilean regions, microclimates in Rapel Valley abound. “Cachapoal in general has quite high temperatures, as do most areas of the Colchagua Valley,” Hidalgo says. “However, Colchagua has a small area near the sea where it’s cooler thanks to the coastal influence.”

These variances shape regional viticulture. While Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Merlot, and Carménère comprise some 80 percent of Rapel Valley wine production, “it’s possible to produce white wines and fresher reds” in the low-lying coastal areas, Hidalgo says. In recent years, areas within the subregion have become known for crisp, cool-climate bottlings of Garnacha, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, País, and Pinot Noir.

Throughout the Central Valley and its subregions, “there’s a lot of diversity in climates—and diversity in wine,” Hidalgo says.

5 to Try

Dagaz Carménère 2018

From coastal Colchagua comes an approachable and elegant expression of Carménère, the France-born red wine grape that many consider Chile’s signature variety. It has blackberry and currant flavors, plus spices and cedar. The tannic structure and bright finish give it ample food pairing potential—try it with everything from cheese boards to roasted root veggies to burgers and beyond. $19.99, baileysboulder.com

Clos de Luz Garnacha Azuda 2021

One of Hidalgo’s favorites from Cachapoal, this crunchy, crowd-pleasing Garnacha starts with hand-harvested grapes that are whole-bunch fermented with indigenous yeasts. Half the juice is aged in old oak, and the other half in clay amphora. The results are impossibly fresh, with tart red cherries, just-picked raspberries, and pleasantly herbaceous flavors, followed by a grippy, tannic finish. $24.97, winechateau.com

Maturana Patel 2020

Made from a co-fermented blend of País, Black Muscat, Sémillon, Riesling, and other red and white varieties, this light and bright red comes from Colchagua’s Paredones region. Fresh and accessible, it’s the perfect bottle to bring to a house party or cookout. Serve it with a slight chill and watch it disappear almost immediately. $28, vintagewines.biz

Vik La Piu Belle 2021

Founded in 2004 in the Andean foothills of Cachapoal’s Millahue Valley, Vik quickly established a considerable following domestically and internationally. Hidalgo is partial to this ageworthy red blend made with Carménère, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Cabernet Franc. Fresh and complex, it offers flavors like ripe cherries and blackberries offset by herbaceous eucalyptus and minerally notes. $86.95, buywinesonline.com

Concha y Toro Carmín de Peumo Carménère 2018

For a taste of Carménère at its most iconic, Hidalgo recommends this bottling from Concha y Toro’s coveted Peumo Vineyard, which sits nearly 560 feet above sea level in the Colchagua Valley. Expect notes of wild blueberries and a touch of black pepper in every sip, followed by velvety tannins on the finish. $159.99, finding.wine

Emily Saladino

Contributing Editor Emily Saladino is a New York-based journalist and recipe developer. Previously the managing editor of Wine Enthusiast and editor-in-chief of VinePair, her work has appeared in The Washington Post, Bon Appetit, Food & Wine, Food Network, and many others. A former professional cook and bartender, she holds a Culinary Arts degree from The French Culinary Institute and Level II Certification from The Wine & Spirit Education Trust. She has a poorly behaved cattle dog named Arby.

Fast Facts

The 870-mile stretch of vineyards in the Central Valley stays cool thanks to the Humboldt Current, a cold ocean current that flows up from Antarctica and all along the western coast of South America. Also called the Peru Current, it keeps the area temperate and prevents winegrowers’ grapes from ripening too quickly.
The wine industry is a major economic driver in Chile, with 800 wineries employing 100,000 people and responsible for 16.5 percent of the country’s agricultural exports.
You’re unlikely to see the words Central Valley—or Rapel Valley, for that matter—on wine labels. Instead, look for subregions like Colchagua, Cachapoal, and Maipo, among others. “Rapel” is typically reserved for bottles made from a blend of regional grapes.