Pinot in Chile
According to the National Wine Registry 2020, there are 4,179 hectares of vines dedicated to the Pinot Noir grape in Chile, with 136,166 hectares of vines planted for the production of wines.
Chilean Pinot Noir is increasingly recognized worldwide.
What Features Make Chilean Pinot Noir So Valued?
This grape variety originated in Burgundy, a region renowned for its cool climate, its permeable soil rich in limestone and marine fossils, which is also found in central Chile. Chilean Pinot Noir is produced under the most extreme conditions and under strict winemaking standards, producing velvety and aromatic fruity wines with moderate concentrations of tannins.
Pinot noir vines are grown in the vineyards of Colchagua, Casablanca, Limarí, San Antonio, Curicó and the Biobío Valley in Chile.
Chilean pinot noir wines are highly valued. In 2015, Chilean Pinot Noir was the UK’s favorite wine.
Pinot in Chile
However, it is not one of the most common varieties in Chile. As we currently know, the best varieties of Pinot Noir are cultivated in the San Antonio and Casablanca valleys, most likely as a result of their poor quality soils and cool climate (which is favorable for grape growth), which are capable of producing both varietal wines and high-quality premium wines (worldwide).
Pinot Noir is known for its intense aromas and flavors of fresh red fruits and berries, such as strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, cherries, etc. The body of a Pinot Noir is lighter than that of a Cabernet Sauvignon, and its consistency is juicy, silky or velvety in the mouth, without the excess body and weight that Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah wines usually have in semi-desert soils, but with the evolution of trends, winemaking methods and with more recent and easier to cultivate clones, wines with more fruity flavor and a cleaner style.
There are many aromas, flavors, textures and impressions produced by Pinot Noir and that leave those who try it perplexed. The youthful color of Pinot Noir is often compared to that of garnets, but it is lighter than that of other red wines. This is a completely natural phenomenon and is not the result of defective winemaking. The reason is that the anthocyanin level in Pinot Noir is lower than that of many well-known red varieties. Calistefin, an anthocyanin that gives an orange hue, is also present in Pinot Noir grapes.