On a checklist for the perfect conditions in which to produce excellent wines, Chile would tick all the boxes. Its vines flourish in the warm, fertile valleys between the arid, mountainous Atacama desert to the north and the icy arctic expanse of breathtaking Patagonia to the south. Temperatures are balanced by the Andes mountains and the cooling Pacific winds. Irrigated by a river that flows through them all to the ocean, the majority of the country’s wines are produced in the central valley which is made up of four main regions – Maipo, Rapel, Curico and the Maule valleys.

Click on each region on the map to find out more information

Aconcagua
Set against mountains that rise to 22,000 feet, this is red wine country with Cabernet Sauvignon the star. This hot, arid valley is irrigated entirely by melting snow wending slowly downwards during its long summer days.

Casablanca
Shaping up as a prime region for whites, this cooler, coastal region with an extended growing season produces bright, succulent grapes and world class Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.

Maipo
Home to some of the biggest names in the Chilean wine industry with Cabernet Sauvignon as its mainstay, this is the country’s oldest and best known wine region. Chile’s capital city, Santiago, sits in the middle of this region and therefore it comes as no surprise that many of the country’s oldest and best-known wineries were established here.

Rapel
Although Merlot is the main grape in this region, the varying climatic conditions and soil types also ensure that an interesting array of other grapes like Pinot Noir and Voignier flourish here.

Curico and Maule
Red grapes dominate in the dry and warm west of these two regions that make up the largest wine growing area, producing Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenere and Merlot with the cellars of Valdivieso at the helm.

Bio Bio
Pais, the original grape of Chile thrives in this cooler climate but more familiar grapes such as Chardonnay, Riesling and Gewurztraminer are attracting investors to the area.