Region · Chile
Chile
CHEE-leh
A long, thin cellar
From Atacama to Bío-Bío: Cabernet in Maipo, Carmenère in Colchagua, Sauvignon and Pinot on the coast, and old País in the south.
- cassis
- green pepper
- citrus
- andes dust
- smoke
The Andes and the Pacific give Chile a textbook climate map: warm interiors, foggy coasts, and a rain shadow that makes irrigation the default. Maipo Alto Cabernet can be world-class. Itata and Maule old vines (País, Cinsault, Carignan) are the soulful counter-argument to polished Central Valley reds.
Carmenère is the signature grape; cool-coast Sauvignon is the weekly white. Do not buy only what is cheapest on the supermarket shelf — the ceiling has moved.
Grilled beef, pebre, and ceviche for the coast.
At the table
Service
Reds 59–63 °F (15–17 °C); coastal whites 45–50 °F (7–10 °C).
