Top 10 spots to pop a cork in South America
By: Patricia
By Emil HunefalkSouth America is actually where the ‘New World’ began, with immigrants from the Iberian Peninsula taking vines with them on the boats across the Atlantic Ocean, planting grapevines to produce new and exciting wines locally. Since we’re going through a few different countries, I decided to group the wine regions by country this time, instead of ranking all regions of the continent. We start with Chile, which first saw the Jesuit missionaries crossing the Atlantic, bringing organized viticulture. We then continue with the fifth largest wine producer in the world Argentina, which saw the Jesuit “wine invasion” shortly after Chile. Finally, you'll see a few less known wine regions in other South American countries, including Uruguay, Brazil and even an “unknown” wine region of Bolivia.1. Colchagua Valley, Rapel, ChileJust a few years ago, back in 2005, Colchagua Valley in Rapel was rated the best wine region in the world by Wine Enthusiast. It is not difficult to understand why when you consider the quality of their wines - often based on Malbec, Syrah, Cabernet and Carmenere grapes - and that the area is host to two of the most famous wineries in the country, Casa Lapostelle and Montes. Besides having the most famous wineries, the area also have the Chilean wines regularly rated highest among wine experts and magazine reviews. For anyone travelling to Colchagua Valley, I would heartily recommend taking the Train of Wine (El Tren del Vino) for a complete wine experience. You would have a train full of love for wine, 14 vineyard visits and a couple of museums on the way - and it’s easily accessible with transfer from Santiago. If you want to travel without any guides or the help of the wine train, I would recommend that you at least try to visit Viña Caliterra, Viña las Niñas and Viña Lapostelle. 2. Maipo Valley, Central Valley, Chile
Another Central Valley subregion, the oldest wine-producing valley in Chile, just south of Santiago, extends from the Andes mountains to the middle of Central Valley. Despite the size of the region, you can however still have a great experience taking bicycle rides through the area, or easily rent a car to see visit different kinds of wineries. You will find bold Cabernet Sauvignon of growing international popularity, from some of the largest and more traditional wineries in Chile, as well as a few excellent boutique wineries which have partnerships with French, Italian and US wine makers. I especially recommend visits to Antiyal, Passeos del Vino and Santa Rita, or perhaps Vina la Montaña - only an hour outside Santiago. 3. Casablanca Valley, Aconcagua, Chile If you love white wine and you’re looking for a good experience in Chile, this might be the top pick for you. If you start out from Chile, you can easily manage the Casablanca Valley in Aconcagua in a weekend, with many nice guesthouses and modern hotels in the region, and quite a few boutique wineries to discover, you could discover new flavours of white grapes that you didn’t even know existed. Not until the 1980’s did the Chileans start growing vines in Casablanca Valley, but the crisp, fresh wines from this coastal cool climate wine region soon caught the wine experts attention. I would definitely recommend a visit to the William Cole vineyards, Kingston Family vineyards and Casas del Bosque - and perhaps treat yourself to a stay at Casablanca Wine & Spa.
4. Mendoza, Argentina
The Mendoza region is now one of the top tourist destinations in Argentina. This was the first wine region I heard of in the country, and still the one I hear mentioned most often. Mendoza also has by far the highest amount of wine production in the country with 80% being produced here, as well as the longest history of wine making. There are around 1500 wineries in the region, divided into the five sub-regions Lujan de Cuyo, Uco Valley, Maipú (sometimes referred to as ‘The Centre’), San Rafael in the south and Rivadavia in the east. Lujan de Cuyo is considered being the “home of Malbec”, and I would highly recommend going there for anyone who enjoys the Malbec wines - I know I enjoyed it! You would also find a lot of Cabernet Sauvignon, as well as some Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Syrah being grown in the region Besides being the main wine producing region of the country, Mendoza is also a haven for adventure travelers - with world class hiking, biking, fishing, rafting and skiing, all within two hours flight from Buenos Aires, or 50 minutes from Santiago, the capital of Chile. If you enjoy festivals, you might love the Mendoza wine festival in March 5. Rio Negro, Argentina If you love sparkling wine, and perhaps enjoy a cooler climate, the Rio Negro wine region is probably a must see destination for you. Just like in other Argentinean wine regions, many wineries have converted buildings into hotels and inns following the wine tourism boom, to let you experience the combination of great wine at the source with great living spaces. You can however also find Pinot Noir and Merlot wines in a European style in the windy and dry wine Rio Negro region - where the climate allows for more organic wine products and lets growers stay away from agrochemicals. For a great wine experience and education, I would recommend visiting Bodega Humberto Canale, which combines a century of wine producing knowledge with modern techniques; then continue to Bodega Estepa with their wide variety of excellent wines, growing vines on both sides of the river in non-traditional picturesque vineyards.
6. Salta, Argentina
With an average altitude of 1700 meter above sea level and 300 annual sunny days, in Salta among others we find the mountainous and picturesque subregion of Cafayete. Despite the region having altitudes among the highest on the planet for wine growing, you actually still get some of the most suitable climates for viticulture in the world. Considering the unusual conditions, many adventurous wine travel lovers consider the Salta wine region their favourite wine destination in the world. If you love mountains and wine, grab your oxygen masks and climb up to El Arenal vineyards - situated at 3 111 metres, which is the current world record when it comes to altitude for vineyards.
7. La Rioja, Argentina Ever since those Spanish missionaries arrived in Argentina a few hundred years ago, the La Rioja region had the feeling of an amazing wine destiny, and you might wonder if those monks thought of it when bringing the Rioja name from Spain in the 16th century. In an area which is almost like a desert, you will find the third largest wine region of Argentina If going to La Rioja, start off your tour in the city of La Rioja, with a number of interesting historical monuments, plazas, churches and other interesting landmarks - often with a strong European influence. If you enjoy festivals, visit the city in March for the Festival del Vinador and celebrate local vintners with dance, wine tasting and music. 8. Juanico, Uruguay Between the mighty South American powers of Argentina and Brazil, you will find Uruguay, a country of only 3.5 million inhabitants where vintners have decided to compete on quality instead of price - often resulting in surprises for tasters across the world. Despite the proximity to other great wine countries Argentina, Chile and Brazil, Uruguay has a wine growing climate more similar to Bordeaux, France or in New Zealand - and when you look at the map you’ll see that much of the wine from Argentina and Chile comes from areas near the Andes mountains, far away from Uruguay. The greatest concentration of vineyards in Uruguay is in the Montevideo area near the southern coast. A number of wineries in the region have come together and created the ‘Wine Roads’, where visitors can visit nice bodegas to try the local wines and sample Uruguayan food. My main recommendation for a wine visit is Bodegas Bouza, where you can combine wine tasting with a superb lunch. Other lovely places to stop for some sampling are Juanicó Winery, Los Cerros de San Juan and Bodega Marichal.
9. Serra Gaúcha, Brazil
Many Germans and Italians ended up in the Serra Gaúcha region in the 19th century, with the Italians early on claiming the highlands 50 years after the Germans arrived in the lowlands. This gave the region a unique blend of culture, architecture and food, which you can still find in the picturesque cities. Especially the Italians brought wine making traditions, and this heritage is celebrated annually in the Festa de Uva festival in Caxias do Sul For a great wine experience, go to Vinícola Vaccaro to see a mix of wine loving homes turned into tourist spots, Nova Alancia for chats with “The Brotherhood of Wine” and Vinicola Aurora for the largest winery in the country. If you want to visit many wineries in a short time, go to Vale dos Vinhedos for a tour of 25 really interesting winery visits. 10. Tarija, Bolivia
Not many people would expect Bolivia to be in a list of great wine destinations, but with the proximity to Salta in Argentina you easily start understanding why the region would be well positioned for wine growers. The Tarija region has a population of only 12000 people, and being situated at 1900 meters altitude you can imagine this being a great place to travel for adventurers and anyone who wants see undiscovered wine places. With 2500 hectares of grapevines, and 6000 more planned, it certainly looks like Bolivia has a future of growing importance. I would suggest visiting La Concepcion, Kohlberg and Magnus wineries for the most interesting experiences. Although you might not find the excellence of tourism luxury when compared to for example Argentina, going to Tarija is bound to be an adventure like no other on this list - and you would have the rights to brag about going to a beautifully located “undiscovered wine region”. About the blogger: Emil Hunefalk is a wine lover and constant Traveller , founder of WineTravelr.com, a wine site for wine afficionados. Check it out for excellent tips and wine destinations in the world. Follow Emil on Twitter |
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