Treasures of the Sierra Madre

Chile is 2610 miles long, bordered on one side by the Pacific Ocean and on most of the other by the Andes. There are deserts in the north and icy fiord regions in the south, but in the middle there is the soft temperate climate needed for winemaking, and it is here that Chile’s numerous vineyards abound.

There are six major wine-growing areas in Chile, all in the temperate central area: Aconcagua, Casablanca, Maipó, Rapel, Curicó and Maule and Bío Bío (the last currently produces mainly less distinguished wines, but with potential!)

The Aconcagua region is the hottest of the wine areas, and also the most arid, and consequently Errazuriz is the only really well known vineyard in the area.

Errazuriz was founded in 1870 by Don Maximo Errazuriz. Originally, the vineyard had 700 hectares of growing areas, but this has decreased over the years, partly due to sales and partition, and partly because Chile was also hit by a form of prohibition in the 1920s. This problem, probably an offshoot of the 18th Amendmen...