Agricultural engineer and founder of AndesWines.com, the first bilingual South American wine site, Maximiliano Morales, sends this report.
According to the Chilean wine-history books, vineyards have been cultivated in the southern Itata region for over five centuries. The story begins with Creole Spanish vines, which adapted well to the environment of Chile's valleys. These plantings of traditional varieties were scattered all over the country, in regions as diverse as the Codpa Valley in Arica-Parinacota, Limari and Elqui Valleys in Coquimbo, Maule and Rapel and the Itata Valleys in the south, where we find grape varieties such as Pais, Mourvèdre, Cinsault...