 Wine is produced in many countries throughout South America. The country producing the greatest volume is Chile, which produces brands such as Concha y Toro and Santa Rita among others. Perhaps because of this success at the entry level of the wine industry, Chile has struggled to improve its image and move into higher price points.
 The climate of Chile is cooled by air currents both from the very cold south Pacific as well as by cold air coming down from the Andes. The coolest of the regions in Chile is the Casablanca valley, known for its white wines. It is located west of the capital city of Santiago, closest to the ocean. To the north of Casablanca lies the Aconcagua, which provides a much warmer climate, and is known for Cabernet and Merlot – Errarzuriz is a top quality producer.
To the south of the city lies the Central Valley, with its several subdivisions. The first of these is the Maipo valley, followed by the Rapel, Curico (home to Montes) and Maule valleys as one travels to the south. Of these, the Maipo is the hottest, and therefore best suited to Cabernet production, as typified by Vina Almaviva.
 Merlot is the specialty in the subregion of the Rapel valley known as the Colchagua, where the Casa Lapostolle has a winery producing its award winning Clos Apalta from old-vine Carmenère (one of Chile’s specities).
South of the Maule, the regions become progressively cooler, and south of the Maule lie Sur, Itata and Bío- Bío.
Chile has many advantages in wine production, from the lack of phylloxera to the mild and moderate climate to inexpensive vineyard property and a pool of well-trained labor. One of the exciting prospects of the years to come is to see the fulfillment of this promise.
 Argentina is another main producer in South America. Producers from Argentina have had arguably less luck than Chile breaking into the big time.
Argentina is the fifth largest wine producing country in the world, with 15.8 million hectoliters produced from 188,000 hectares of vines. Wine production has a long history, and domestic demand is strong.
Because there was little need to export, the style of Argentinian wine for many years remained quite rustic. Now with renewed interest in the country, this is beginning to change.
The focus on Malbec has also served to provide a point of difference to consumers, and there are other local specialties, including the white Torrontés, and the red Bonarda. These grapes are transplants from Portugal and Italy, respectively.
However, in spite of these differences and renewed foreign investment and the concurrent surge in quality, the country is only now beginning to produce truly exciting wines, such as Cheval des Andes and Terrazas.
Most of the noteworthy wine is produced in and around Mendoza, the main center of wine production in Argentina.
Other wine producing countries in South America include Uruguay, who has focused on the Tannat grape from southwest France, and Brazil, where it is possible to bring in two crops of grapes per year.
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Wine Regions of the World
