Travel America

South American Wine – Wineries in Chile and Argentina Lead the Way

There’s just something about it. There’s just something about the wine in South America that has sommeliers on the edge of their seats and wine clubs and dinner parties filling up with wine from what is turning into one of the richest wine regions in the world. Malbecs from Argentina are the current rage in some circles. In the last decade, South American wineries have gained notoriety.

The South American wine industry is simply booming. Over the last ten years, Argentina and Chile, especially, have been making a name for themselves. From Argentina, the Malbec has earned a spot as one of the most widely hailed wines of the last five years and Chile has become one of the top wine exporters in the world. Other South American countries are following suit, turning South America into a continent becoming famous for more than just beautiful landscapes and rich cultures.

Much of the success enjoyed by Argentina and Chile is due to regional factors. In the ‘Wine Belt’ of South America Santiago, Mendoza and even a few wineries in Uruguay have taken advantage in what is proving to be one of the best growing environments in the world. The wine regions around the Andes and similar weather factors in Uruguay have begun producing world-class wines and varietals with specific flavors, unmatched by any other area in the world and distinct to South America. On top of the popularity the wine in Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay has received, travel to the region is also increasing. Cities like Buenos Aires and Santiago are some of the most popular travel destinations in the world. With beautiful geography provided by the country that surrounds two of the most metropolitan cities in South America, travelers are flocking into these cities for winery tours as well as vacationing; two industries that are fueling the popularity of one another.

It’s difficult to predict the cause and effect of trends. How they emerge and how long they will stay. But wine production in South America seems to have found the perfect balance of cost effective cultivation and excellent quality. This focus on quality is relatively new to South American countries but has since become its ticket onto the world wine market. Exporting to nearly every country in the world, With such a hold on world markets and with such reasonable prices paired with excellent qualities, it seems that both Chilean and Argentine wines are here to stay. Conversely, with their vineyards only growing larger, interest in the region will seemingly only continue to increase. Even just recently developments in cool-climate regions are producing new flavors and wines in a testament to the new and different niche markets emerging as a result of interests in South America.

With so much variety, quality and value coming out of Argentina and Chile, wine from South America has proved itself worthy of the impression it is making on the worldwide industry. It seems the continent has earned the respect and attention wine enthusiasts, an interest that has translated publicly and one that will properly solidify South America as a permanent installment in today’s wine industry.

By: Jim Hunter