Rapel Valley

Rapel Valley

(Chile)

rapel valley wines for sale

Rapel Valley

The Rapel Valley in Chile is a region famous for the production of wine, in particular Merlot and Sauvignon, located in the central area of ​​the country, flanked on both sides by mountain ranges. Here the climate is sunny all year round, the region is in fact warm and dry, but still refreshed by the currents of cold air coming from the Andes, factors that influence the quality of the cultivated wines, making them particularly fragrant.

The wines of the Rapel Valley, which represent a quarter of the country's production and are characterized by refined and clean flavors, today can boast exceptional quality thanks to technologies always more advanced, introduced in the country since the late 70 '. These include the use of stainless steel tanks in place of traditional wooden vats, but also more advanced drip irrigation systems, which are indispensable for keeping the ground moist in a place where rain is poor.

The vine cultivation in Rapel Valley dates back to 1500 when the Pais was planted for the first time, still widespread. Later, around the mid 1800s, many varieties were imported from France, including the Cabernet Sauvignon and the Merlot typical of the Rapel Valley, which is in fact known for the main production of red varieties, although there are also plants of Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.

Thanks to the innovative agronomic practices adopted on site, which allow to reduce the yield of grapes per hectare, and the refinement in steel tanks and in barrels, the wines in bottle of the Rapel Valley have reached a very high quality. Technologies aside, the merit goes also to the particularly suitable lands of the area, which contribute to the uniqueness of the local wines. To test its taste, nothing better than to taste an excellent Punta Nogal Cabernet Sauvignon 2015.

Information about Rapel Valley

Region Rapel Valley
Country Chile
Climate and soil Rapel consists, in fact, in two different valleys: Cachapoal that extends along the river Cachapoal and Colchagua along the river with an interesting name, Tinguiririca. To the west we find the mountains from the coast that protect, like a wall, from the cold winds of the ocean and to the east stands the cordillera of the Andes with its snowy peaks. The climate, in the Rapel valley, is influenced by the low pressure of the ocean that brings rain, during all winter months, while, in summer, the strong winds of the south create different microclimates and the cold night winds cool the vineyards, a combination which gives the area some rather unique climatic conditions. Even the soils are very variable but the medium-textured and well-drained soils dominate and are extremely rich in materials.
History The Spanish conquerors were the first to cultivate the vineyard in South America and this was perhaps their only good deed. Probably the first vineyards were planted to satisfy their thirst, first in Chile in 1548 and then in Argentina in 1551. Already in the 1500s, Francisco Carabantes planted vineyards near the town of Concepción, on the coast of the central part of the country. It was a rather mediocre quality vine, País, which the conquistadors had brought with them from Spain. Probably, it is the same grape that in Argentina is called Criolla and, in California, Mission. Between 1600 and 1700, the development of viticulture was rapid, taking on great proportions. After the liberation from Spain, in 1850, cuttings were imported from Bordeaux, and thanks to the fact that this happened before phylloxera infects the European vineyards, Chile is today one of the few countries in the world that were not affected by the aphid. Moreover, protected by the eastern Andes, from the hot and sandy desert to the north, the Antarctica to the south and the Pacific Ocean to the west, Chile does not even run the risk of being infected with phylloxera in the future. The vines, infested on a free foot, are more long-lived than those grafted on American feet.
Typical dishes If the potato is the undisputed queen, do not joke the other products of the earth such as cassava, of which we eat the tuber, and of course the tomatoes. Although at the base of the European diet, the xitomatl - this is the name with which the Aztecs called the red fruit - is in fact native of these lands and was brought to the Old Continent only in the mid-sixteenth century by the Spanish leader Hernán Cortés. Every people who came from these lands (according to some oriental scholars, the Chinese came to South America a thousand years before Columbus) brought his dishes, which remained alive in the tradition here, contrary to what has often happened in the countries of origin. . It is therefore not surprising that every visitor finds a piece of his culture in South America.

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White organic still aromatic
Emiliana
,  DO Rapel Valley, 100% Traminer Aromatico
13.50%, 0,75 l
Price CHF 14.16
Saving CHF 2.59 (18%)
CHF 11.57 inc VAT
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Last 6 bottles
91
Red organic still
Emiliana
,  N/A , 100% Pinot Nero
13.50%, 0,75 l
JS 90
Price CHF 14.94
Saving CHF 2.62 (18%)
CHF 12.32 inc VAT
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Last 5 bottles

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