Casablanca Valley: Chile's Cool-Climate Wine Country
The Casablanca Valley — 30 km from Viña del Mar, influenced by the cold Pacific — is Chile's finest white wine region; the morning fog, the cool temperatures, and the proximity to the ocean produce Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay of international quality
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Casablanca Valley Wines
The Casablanca Valley's cool maritime climate (influenced by the cold Humboldt Current through the coastal Casablanca Gap) produces Chile's finest white wines — Sauvignon Blanc (crisp, mineral, citrusy) and Chardonnay (full but fresh) are benchmarks for Chilean whites; the valley also produces excellent Pinot Noir for similar cool climate reasons
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Morning fog
Camanchaca — the Pacific Coast mist that rolls in every morning through the Casablanca Gorge — is the key to the valley's wine quality; the fog keeps temperatures low throughout the morning, extending the growing season and preserving the acidity of the grapes; the combination of fog, cool afternoons and sunny interludes creates the complex flavor profile of wines from Casablanca
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Viña Casas del Bosque
Casas del Bosque - one of Casablanca's leading wineries - has a restaurant, a chocolate factory and a tour program that connects the winery's wine production with the Pacific Coast landscape; The winery's tasting room, overlooking the vineyards towards the Pacific Ocean, is one of the best wine tasting environments in Chile
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San Antonio Valley
The San Antonio Valley—adjacent to Casablanca, even cooler and closer to the Pacific—is emerging as Chile's most exciting cold-climate wine region; the extreme temperatures of San Antonio (some of the coldest in Chile's wine regions) produce wines of extraordinary precision and freshness; the sub-valley of Leyda is the most famous sub-region
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Chilean Wine Culture
Chile has one of the most wine-friendly cultures in South America — wine is the standard drink at lunch and dinner, the supermarket wine selection is excellent, and the price-quality ratio for Chilean wine is globally competitive; the coastal valleys around Viña del Mar produce wines that rival the world's finest expressions of cold climates
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Seafood and wine pairing
The combination of white wines from Casablanca and San Antonio with seafood from the Pacific on the Viña del Mar coast is one of South America's great regional food and wine pairings; Sauvignon Blanc's citrus and mineral notes pair perfectly with sea urchin, abalone and ceviche of the Chilean Pacific coast; the pairing is the culinary signature of the Viña del Mar region