Chile and its geographic uniqueness

There are many characteristics of Chile as a wine producing country that make it a unique and singular wine region. The first is the extension of the cultivation territory, as its vineyards extend over 4,300 km in length and only 177 km in width. The second is the presence of the El Niño weather phenomenon and its influence on the climate in the vineyards. The third is its orography with the majestic Andes mountain range. We will talk about all this in our future posts, but let’s first deal with the enormous length of the Chilean geography.   

The orography of Chile allows to cultivate a great diversity of land with a total of 130.000 hectares. Of these, 96.000 are dedicated to red wines and 34.000 to white wines. The vineyards are located on this extensive surface and grow a total of 100 different grape varieties.  This is undoubtedly a great advantage, which results in the great diversity of types of wine to be produced, but also a high complexity for viticulture and vine treatment, as each region or valley can be very different.  In addition, it is especially complex when it comes to harvesting the grapes, as it is necessary to analyse with great precision when is the optimum time to harvest, and this can fluctuate considerably depending on the location and the weather.  

In the case of Viña Casa Solís, a privileged location was chosen in the Cachapoal Valley thanks to its proximity to the most important regions and valleys, especially the Central Valley, Maipo, Colchagua, Curicó, Aconcagua and Casablanca. An area of influence with optimal conditions for almost any grape variety to grow successfully and which has a wide variety of mineral-rich soils, as well as the existence of very different microclimates depending on the proximity to the sea or the mountains. The variety of grapes we receive in our winery is important and allows us to produce a wide range of wines, especially Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc for whites and Merlot, Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Pinot Noir and Carmene for reds.