Chile has a wonderful climate for growing wine grapes. Located, west of the Andes, Chile's climate varies from the heat of the arid, rocky, mountainous desert to the north and the icy, cold, Antarctic expanse in the south. Chile's vineyards flourish in the warm, fertile valleys that are positioned between the two areas. Viticulture has been established in Chile for centuries and there are a wide selection of global wine varieties planted, including Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay and many more. Many of the wine grapes that were believed to be Merlot have recently been determined to be Carmenère, which is a scarcely planted variety of Bordeaux.

The wine regions of Chile include some sub regions. The most northern region is Aconcagua, and due to its location, it is Chile's warmest region. The hot and dry conditions signify that there are some notable wineries here. In the intermediate region Panquehue, conditions are better, and some interesting wines are produced. Nearer to the coast is one of the cooler regions, Casablanca, where large plantings of white wine varieties, like Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc are grown.

Casablanca Valley is a wine sub-region located on northwest of Santiago, along the highway to the coastal city of Valparaíso. This area has provided Chile with an excellent location to produce exciting, high-quality white wines. This is the youngest major wine area in Chile and they started viticulture production in the 1980s. The Casablanca valley made the country famous for fruity Sauvignon Blanc. As the main highway from Santiago to Valparaíso cuts through the valley, Casablanca’s wine tourism industry has expanded along with its production. One of the biggest producer from Casablanca valley is Loma Larga Estate.

Loma larga wines
Lomas del Valle wines

The Central Valley, which produces the vast majority of wines, is, composed of four main sub regions. These wine regions are the Maipo, Rapel, Curico and Maule Valleys, each which has rivers that run west from the Andes to the ocean. Maipo is Chile's oldest wine region. Cabernet Sauvignon and other red wine varieties are favored by these sub regions. Maipo produces some very good wines. South of Maipo is Rapel with its sub regions of Cachapoal and Colchagua. There are some wines of interest produced here, and also further south at Maule. Maule is also subdivided with the most significant region being Curicó, which includes Lontue. Nearby is Chimbarongo, which produces some appealing Pinot Noir wines.
Valle del Maipo is the closest wine producing area to the capital, Santiago de Chile. The zone is known for its exceptional Cabernets, which comprise the majority of the hectares planted there. Some of the vineyards in this valley include:

Perez Cruz winery
Teillery winery

Valle de Colchagua has a warm climate as it is further from the coast, yielding nice red varieties. Many vineyards now seek out cooler conditions, however, and climb into the hills and extend west toward the sea. Colchagua produces rich Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenère, and Syrah, as well as some of South America’s finest Malbec.
Some of the vineyards in this valley include:

Cantaluna winery

San Antonio valley is one of Chile’s youngest wine regions. It is also the closest to the sea. A lack of fresh water, low temperatures, and thin soils make winegrowing a challenge, but pioneering wineries produce exciting cool-climate wines such as Syrah and Sauvignon Blanc with bright fruit, naturally high acidity, and a distinct mineral character.
Some of the vineyards in this valley include:

Garces Silva winery