The Winery El Principal of Maipo Valley of Central Valley

Discovering the wine region of Maipo Valley

Maipo Valley is one of Chile's most important wine-producing regions. Located just South of the capital, Central-valley/maipo-valley/santiago">Santiago, Maipo Valley is home to some of the country's most prestigious wines. It is often described as the 'Bordeaux of South America', and Rich, fruit-driven Cabernet Sauvignon is undoubtedly its most celebrated wine style. Maipo is at the very Northern end of Chile's extensive Central Valley, running from just north of the Rapel Valley up to where the countryside begins to give way to houses and roads in the southern suburbs of Santiago.

The Coastal Range separates the area from the Pacific coast, and on the eastern side, the Andes Mountains rise suddenly and dramatically, separating Maipo from the Argentinean region of Mendoza. The Maipo Valley is the home of viticulture in Chile. The first vines were Planted around Santiago at the city's birth in the 1540s, but it wasn't until the 1800s that viticulture began to expand significantly, as an indirect result of entrepreneurial Chileans growing rich from the Mineral wealth found in the Atacama Desert to the north. It became fashionable for these wealthy individuals to travel to France, and they inevitably returned home with vines to plant in their New, French-influenced wine estates.

The vineyards of Cousino Macul, Concha Y Toro and Santa Rita were developed during this period, and they remain today important names in the Chilean wine industry. The region can be roughly separated into three broad areas: Alto Maipo, Central Maipo and Maipo Bajo. The vineyards of Alto Maipo (or Upper Maipo) run along the eastern edge of the Andes Mountains, where they benefit from altitudes of 1300-2500ft (400-760m) above sea level. At this height, Warm sun during the day is followed by colder nights, which slow ripening.