National Wine Tasting Day: Here’s why Chilean wines have distinct flavour

Wine lovers from all over the world consider it one of the best drinks to enjoy and relish. Wines from European nations are globe leaders in terms of production and consumption but there are countries where exquisite quality wines are produced and exported. South American nation Chile,which is located between the Andes mountains and South Pacific ocean produces some of the best wines in the world. Wines from Chile are currently considered as from the New World Wine region but Chilean wine has a long history dating from the mid 16th century, when the Spanish conquistadors brought Vitis vinifera vines with them mainly to provide wine to be used in the celebration of mass. The main wine region has a Mediterranean climate with a wide span of temperature between day and night, which helps the growth process and allows intense flavors on the fruits. Talking to FinancialExpress.com, Chilean Ambassador to India H.E. Juan Angulo M said, “The big drop in temperature at night helps to maintain high levels of acidity in the ripened grape and as a result Chilean wines have a unique profile of flavonoids that permit the winemakers produce wine with high levels of antioxidants.”

“In the mid-19th century, Chilean entrepreneurs started planting French wine varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Carmenère and Franc. The climate and soil helped in the introduction of these varieties, which replaced the variety Pais that was cultivated from the 16th century,” Chilean Ambassador added.

The natural geographical isolation of the Chilean territory permitted that the country was not affected by the phylloxera louse in the 19th century and so far Chile has remained free of it which means that the country’s grapevines do not need to be grafted with phylloxera-resistant rootstocks. In the last 40 to 50 years Chilean wineries introduced new technologies and styles that helped them to sell their wines in international markets. Among those improvements was the use of oak and stainless steel tanks for aging the wines. Thanks to its reasonably priced premium quality wines Chile is nowadays one of the most important exporters of wine with a huge presence in markets around the world. With over 80 wineries in the country, Chilean wines are usually ranked very highly in international competitions. National Wine Tasting Day is on February 18th.