Elqui Valley
Elqui is the northernmost frontier of Chilean viticulture. It borders on the Atacama Desert. Vines grow close to the sea, under a powerful maritime influence and a cool coastal climate. Its clayey soils, with high mineral content, are perfect for white varieties and reds of finesse and elegance such as Pinot Noir and Syrah. San Pedro has helped pioneer high-quality viticulture in the Elqui—something that did not exist a decade ago.
Casablanca Valley
Casablanca is perhaps the best-known cool valley famous for its Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. It is located north of the Central Valley next the coast. With a cold Mediterranean climate, the valley penetrates into the Coastal Mountains, where the cordillera is lower, allowing the cool breezes from the Pacific to get through, especially in the early morning in the form of “Camanchaca” or morning fog.
Leyda Valley
Leyda Valley is south from Casablanca and is a smaller sub-region within San Antonio. Here the vineyards are less than 14 kilometers from the Pacific Ocean. The powerful maritime influence has created special conditions for varieties such as Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Syrah.
Maipo Valley
The historical center of modern Chilean winemaking. Maipo has a Mediterranean climate, with a large thermal oscillation between day and night of almost 20°C. The annual rainfall is 330 mm concentrated between April and September. The summer is dry with an average high temperature of about 25° C. The soil is loose clayey and stony with lots of riverbank vineyards.
Cachapoal Valley
The vineyards are located right on the piedmont of the Andes Mountains, with a strident thermal oscillation between day and night, and optimal drainage conditions fro obtaining concentrated wines. Fruit matures one and even two weeks later than neighbouring vineyards and the unusual mountain breezes help keep the plants healthy.
Curicó Valley
Home to vineyards with gentle rolling hills and well-drained alluvial soils. This is a real paradise for grape-growing, thanks to Chilean Central Zone’s climate, which is Mediterranean and influenced by the Pacific Ocean. Rains reach an annual average of 600mm, concentrated especially during winter (June to September), followed by a l-o-n-g dry season. The mountains create a low temperatures corridor, which allows a great thermal oscillation up to 15°C during the whole growing season.
Maule Valley
Home to one of the most southern of San Pedro’s farms. Pencahue is an area known for its warm dry climate and uneven stony soils. Here warm weather Syrah and Carmenere are at home. This valley used to be home to simpler more popular wines and today is proving its mettle with dry-farmed reds of terrific natural acidity and elegance.
Bío-Bío Valley
Named after the Bío-Bío River, it is located 800 km south from Santiago, being the southernmost wine region in Chile. It presents Mediterranean climate of warm days and cool nights, which result in a long ripening season. It has a higher average rainfall than the rest of the country, but local winds prevent humidity from having detrimental effects on plant health. The Bio-Bio offers a great diversity of terroirs for white varieties and cooler climate reds such as Pinot Noir. Outstanding among them are Chardonnay, Riesling, Gewürtztraminer and Pinot Noir, which are fast gaining international recognition. This region’s wines are refreshing, modern and aromatic.