South American Wines

South America has gradually become one of the
world’s largest and best-loved wine producers. Like Australia
and New Zealand,
it has taken time to develop and grow its market, but it now makes up a huge proportion
of the wine that is available to us through our supermarkets, retailers and
wine distributors.

 

In
Latin America, the two countries which produce the most wine by far are Argentina and Chile. Both have wine traditions
which go back to the times when they were Spanish colonies and hence
viticulture is very much part of the region’s history. In this article, we will
look at both countries, both historically and as to their position in today’s
wine market.

 

Argentina now stands proudly in
the top five of the world’s biggest wine producers. It has a high consumption
within the country itself, Argentines are very fond of red wine to go with
their high consumption of local red meat, and exports have risen over the
years, making it one of the world’s most exciting New World wine regions.
Initially, wine making was introduced to the country by the Spanish, but the
industry has been influenced by immigrants such as Italians and Germans, whose
love of viticulture has transformed the Argentine wine making patterns and
helped make it a successful Export business.

 

Because
of the extensive history of wine making in the region, Argentina has seen the
evolution of many local grape varieties, including Torrorité’s (white wine),
Malbec (red wine) and Corbeau (also red). Malbec is the favoured Argentine
variety, and it has also been found to be the most successfully exported
variety. The other industry that has grown on the back of wine making is wine
tourism, which means Argentina
is the place to go for a different kind of wine holiday than you get in California, France,
Italy and Germany.

 

Wine
making in Chile has a
similar kind of provenance to that of Argentina. However in Chile
Bordeaux varieties arrived in a big way as early as the mid 1800s, and Chile is now
one of the top wine producers in the world. Traditionally, Chilean vineyards
were in semi-arid regions which are irrigated by water from the Andes, but
there has been a surge in interest in the cooler areas, for instance the Llegda Valley
which is starting to become recognised for its Pinot Noir.

 

New
World Wines are generally grown in hotter climates than their more Northerly
cousins. The grapes tend to get riper, and therefore the resulting wines tend
to be more alcoholic – something to keep an eye on when drinking these nectars.
The wines are also fuller in body and therefore go well with highly spiced
foods and red meats.

 

For
a great range of South American wines, or just to browse wine in general, it is
a good idea to consult an independent online wine retailer. You can browse
wines in your chosen price range, and you can research before you buy.

Article Source: http://www.theukarticledirectory.co.uk