The Coastal Terroirs of Chile's Wine Country

The Topography of Chile’s Coast (Image from the Wines of Chile)

As we discovered last time, the Humboldt Current generates a river of cold water that profoundly impacts the Chile’s coastal climate. This cold water current cools the air over the sea, leading to a classic thermal inversion during the summer months. This inversion causes the condensed humidity from the day to form a thick fog that blankets the sea and coast. This fog is reminiscent of the mist famously seen in California’s Sonoma Coast and the Santa Lucía Highlands, but on a larger scale. This fog also filters sunlight, which affects grape varieties with short ripening cycles, such as Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and Pinot Noir. Consequently, these varieties develop slowly and delicately under the foggy conditions.

In addition, this effect of the Humboldt Current defines the daytime temperatures along the coast. Temperatures remain low along the ocean and the coast before rising sharply further inland to match the topography of the inner valleys. By thirty-five miles inland, the effects have completely disappeared.

The topography also plays an important role. In central Chile an ancient mountain range known as the Cordillera de la Costa (the Coastal Range) runs parallel to the ocean along a 2,000- mile stretch. This range acts as a barrier to the influence of the Humboldt Current. On the western slopes, the effects of the Humboldt Curren can be felt, while the eastern side is affected less the further it is from the sea.

The combination of granite soils and a consistent climate make for a terroir of a kind not found anywhere else in the world, where vineyards are planted along a 600-mile long stretch. Within this 20- to 30-mile wide strip, where the granite is combined with clay or sandy loam depending on the area, temperatures and sunlight are quite consistent. Without the Humboldt Current, the climate would vary widely by latitude and topography. 

The main coastal terroirs of Chile are, running from south to north: Itata, Colchagua Costa, Leyda & San Antonio, Casablanca, Limarí and Huasco.

Next time well take a look at the Humboldt Current’s imprint on the wines of Chile. Cheers!

The Humboldt Current and Chile’s Coastal Wines

The Humboldt Current (Image from The Wines of Chile)

Behind some of the most distinctive wines of Chile lies an ocean current that has a major effect on vineyards in this area, not to mention weather patterns across the globe.

How is it possible that a tropical latitude can produce cold-climate wines of the kind found on the coast of Chile? Why do Pinot Noir and Chardonnay thrive all along the 600-mile wine-producing terroir of the Chilean coast? 

The underlying cause of these conditions is to be found out in the cold waters of the Pacific, where a powerful oceanic current runs from south to north — The Humbolt Current.

Of all the great oceanic currents, the Humboldt stands out:

• It generates one of the richest maritime ecosystems in the world

• It is so large and cold that it affects the coasts of South America from the 50th to the 4th parallels

• Whenever it shifts course, weather patterns around the globe change completely

The Humboldt Current flows up to the continent and rises to the surface at a latitude of between 50 and 40 degrees south. The volume of water is such that even six hundred miles out to sea it has a major effect on inland weather.

Due to its scale and length, the Humboldt Current changes the weather around it, creating a cold buffer in nearby air masses and lowering temperatures as it goes.

The contrast couldn’t be starker: where on land the earth is barren, the air dry and there is a total lack of plants other than in river valleys, out to sea the cold, nutrient rich water results in an explosion in marine life. The Humboldt Current sustains the richest marine ecosystem in the world on the coasts of Chile, Peru and Ecuador. Nothing escapes Humboldt’s icy breath, which is why it is so important to the coastal wines of Chile.

Next time we’ll take a look at the Coastal terroirs of Chile.

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Materials provided by The Wines of Chile

Ever Wonder? What is an AVA?

There are so many wine terms, acronyms and abbreviations that can be quite confusing. And, wine labels are often a place where this confusion is on display.

In the U.S., the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), which is part of the Treasury, is responsible for regulating the wine industry. Wine labeling is one of the topics they regulate.

Per the TTB’s guidance “An American viticultural area (AVA) is a type of appellation specific to grape wine. It is a defined grape-growing region having a name, distinguishing features, and a delineated boundary…” That’s a lot of words to say that an AVA is a unique wine-growing region.

So, an AVA is not just a wine growing region, it is a very specific wine growing region. And, their words “distinguishing features” are key to defining an AVA.

At first, one might assume that a Cabernet Sauvignon grape is a Cabernet Sauvignon grape no matter where it is grown. And, while that is basically true, there are subtle nuances that make a Cabernet Sauvignon grape grown in Napa Valley different than one grown in Arizona. The interaction of the soil, climate, topography and grape variety in a specific site, imprints the wine and making of each wine with specific unique characteristics. And, the wine world refers to this concept as the “terroir” (te-war). That is, specific geographic or climatic features of a wine growing region will distinguish it from the surrounding regions and affect how grapes are grown.

So, an AVA is an American Viticultural Area that has unique grape-growing characteristics.

Next time, we’ll explore some fun facts about AVAs such as wine labeling requirements, how AVAs get created and how many there are in the U.S. Until then, cheers!

Wine: The Tale of Two Pinot Noir's

Pinot Noir is a wonderful varietal of wine. In the Old World (Europe), Pinot Noir is most famous from the Burgundy region of France. There, it is simply known as ‘Burgundy.’

In the U.S., Pinot Noir is grown in multiple regions. Two notable regions are Sonoma’s Russian River and Oregon’s Willamette Valley. These two regions are producing some excellent Pinot Noir. But, they are quite different.

The differences between Sonoma’s Pinot Noir and Oregon’s Pinot Noir is due to terrior, or the interaction of the soil, climate, topography and how the grape variety grows in the specific region.

The Pinot Noir being produced in Sonoma’s Russian River Valley tends to be light and delicate. Their colors are light, yielding bright cherry red hues with even lighter pink edges on the rim. The flavors include red cherry, cranberry, and raspberry with very delicate, almost non-existent tannin and light finishes.

Now, the Oregon’s Willamette Valley Pinots can be quite different. The Oregon terrior produces bigger and bolder wines, all around. Their colors are deeper, darker red. And their flavors also tend to be of black fruit such as black cherry, currant, fig and plum. They can also have noticeable astringency from their tannin. The words ‘robust’ and ‘muscle’ can be associated with these Pinots.

Both the Sonoma and Oregon Pinot Noir’s are excellent wines; you can’t go wrong with either. But, they also have their very own personalities. So, give them both a try! Cheers!