13 best Chilean wines: From chardonnay to pinot noir

A product of the Aconcagua coastal area, where a cool climate, sea breezes (the Pacific is only 12km away) and modern winemaking techniques are resulting in sauvignon blancs that can match those found anywhere else in the new world. Vibrant and textured, it has a citrussy and fruity flavour with herbal undertones. It also benefits from a crisp minerality and a long and satisfying finish.

From grapes grown on century-old vines in a coastal vineyard in the Itata Valley in the south of Chile comes a commanding white that’s a slightly surprising blend of 70 per cent moscatel and 30 per cent chasselas, a variety that’s as much a table grape as it is a wine one. The result is a wine that’s subtle and sophisticated with soft, exotic fruit flavours, hints of blossom and a pleasant but not overwhelming acidity.

A red wine that’s a blend of the variety that in recent years has become the country’s go-to grape of choice, carménère (60 per cent), and syrah (40 per cent). It’s made from grapes grown on a family-owned estate in Chile’s Cachapoal Valley where the hillside vineyards are cooled by breezes from the Pacific. Aged in oak it has dark fruit and cherry flavours along with the coffee bean notes that characterise the carmenère grape. It’s only lightly filtered, so there may be some natural sediment present.

There’s quite a backstory here. Norwegian entrepreneur Alexander Vik, proposed the creation of a world-class vineyard to produce a unique wine back in 2004 and set about looking for the perfect location. He finally settled on the Millahue Valley, or “Place of Gold” in Chile and with a team of dedicated oenologists set as his target the aim of producing the best wine in South America. The result was a limited range of high-quality wines including this Bordeaux-inspired blend of cabernet sauvignon, carménère, merlot and cabernet franc with a soupçon of syrah. Complex and structured with lashings of blackcurrant and damsons and aromas of spice and herbs it’s an instant delight. Enjoy it now or lay it down for further enjoyment in years to come.

They’ve only been producing wine in Malleco in the deep south of Chile for a generation or so but already it’s gaining plaudits and if this outstanding pinot noir is anything to go by, its future is assured. Made from vines growing on volcanic soil on an ancient river bed (the “Q” stands for quino, a native word for between two rivers) where frost is a constant threat, this pinot noir battles the elements to emerge with rich and concentrated flavours of ripe dark fruit and a smooth and elegant mouthfeel.

The país grape has a long pedigree in Chile, having been brought to the country by Spanish conquistadors from Peru during their ruthless colonisation of the continent in the 16th century. Here, it’s blended with another long-standing variety, moscatel, to produce a beautifully soft, easy-to-drink red with notes of red fruit and wild berries and a slightly earthy minerality. The wine-making team led by Felipe Tosso is fanatical about sustainability and Ventisquero was among the first Chilean wineries to offset its carbon emissions.

For those who think of New Zealand as the home of the best new world sauvignon blanc, here’s an organic wine that could change your mind. Grown in cool climate vineyards in the Valle de Casablanca, close to the Pacific Ocean, this straw-coloured wine has zesty and spirited citrus and passion fruit flavours with herb notes and a vibrant minerality. It’s a refreshing and rewarding companion to a summer salad or a light seafood dish.

A wine so good they named it twice. Although actually the Bio Bio Valley is one of Chile’s southernmost wine areas and the region where winemaker Diego Covarrubias ended up after working in New Zealand and Argentina. The prowess he picked up there helped him to helm this very approachable malbec with its generous blackcurrant tang and subtle tannins. Enjoy it with something meaty and delicious.

Made from grapes grown on selected vineyards in the Aconcagua and Curicó Valleys. The former is in northern Chile where the Pacific Ocean is never too far away and the Mediterranean-like climate provides moderately warm summer days and crisp evening breezes. The more central Curico Valley offers clay-loam soil and a typical Chilean terroir. Together they form a fresh and inviting merlot with aromatic strawberry, cherry, and red fruit notes with caramel, coffee and vanilla flavours from the oak. And at under a tenner, it’s a bargain.

Rich and fruity, this carménère comes from the Colchagua Valley. A fifth of the grapes come from 120-year-old vines giving the wine an added depth and adding texture to the dark fruit flavours and notes of spice and pepper. Winemaker Sofia Araya makes the environment a priority and all the Veramonte vineyards are certified organic, so all the wines, including this one, are suitable for vegans.

Chardonnay has suffered in recent years from too many examples that have failed to impress, leading to the ABC maxim – “anything but chardonnay”. Happily, this is one that does the grape justice. From the southern winegrowing region of Lontué, it has the melon and peach flavours that chardonnay is famous for along with the added butteriness that develops after partial fermentation in French oak barrels. That’s then enhanced by allowing the wine to age “sur lie”, that is on the sediment and yeast, giving you more richness and texture for your money.

​From a family-owned winery in the Casablanca Valley, this is a bright and refreshing sauvignon blanc with zippy flavours of citrus fruits and melon allied to a pleasurable minerality. Winemaker Grant Phelps believes in using longer than normal skin contact to give the flavours an added boost. Perfect as an aperitif it can also act as a superb accompaniment to light seafood dishes or summer salads.

Winemaker Sebastian De Martino’s avowed mission in life is to present the spirit of the carménère grape in its purest form. Made from grapes picked in the heart of the MaipoValley. The grape takes longer to ripen than other varieties, but it’s worth the wait when you get a red wine like, bursting full of dark and red berry flavours with notes of spice, herbs and pepper. Love the label, too, which fully lives up to the locos muertos (“crazy dead”) name.