The Spanish conquistador Marquis Francisco de Caravantes was the first person to bring grapes to Peru in the sixteenth century. Since then, wine growers have worked to develop and perfect growing techniques for wine grapes. The major locus of wine production is in Ica, where climate and soil conditions are the most conducive to grape growing.
There are three industrial wineries in Ica, where modern techniques are employed, including the ageing of wines in oak barrels and the use of stainless steel equipment. There are also numerous artisan producers, some of which still use the ancient techniques, such as stomping the grapes with their feet. Many of the wineries or “bodegas” in Ica also produce Pisco, a type of grape brandy, and Peru’s national drink. The wines of Peru have begun to gain international recognition, and wines produced in Ica have garnered prestigious international awards.
Chile has a long history of wine making, dating back to the conquistadors who brought grape vines with them in the mid 16th Century and planted vineyards. These first cuttings thrifved in this climate, which was similar to the Mediterranean in many ways, and Chilean wine grew popular as an export to Spain, which imposed limits to prevent competition with Spanish wines. In the mid 18th century, after Chile´s independence from Spain, French varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot were introduced. However, government decrees prohibited the planting of new vineyards between 1938 and 1974.
In the early 1980s a wine renaissance began with the introduction of stainless steel fermenters and the use of oak barrels for ageing. Subsequently, the export business grew very quickly and high quality wines were produced. The number of wineries has grown from 12 in 1995 to over 70 in 2005. Some of the varieties produced in Chile include Merlot, Malbec, Pinot Noir, Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon, to name a few.
Argentina is an up and coming wine-producer, whose history of wine-making dates back for ten years. The arid wine region in Argentina depends on the snowmelt from the mountainous regions of the Andes for irrigation.
Argentina’s wine region is located along the western border, and extends for approximately 2,000 kilometers. Mendoza, with a favorable climate for grape-growing, produces nearly 4/5 of the wine in the country; the Salta region, in the north, is known for its high quality Caubernet Sauvignons and Torrontes wines. In the Rio Negro region to the South, one finds Pinot Noirs and Sauvignon Blancs; both cooler climate varieties.
. |
English 
Español 
