New Subappellation Proposed in Chile's Maipo Valley

Alto Maipo would shuck traditional appellation boundaries

James Molesworth
Posted: June 1, 2004

A group of leading Chilean vintners is looking to distinguish themselves further by creating a new subappellation within the country's famed Maipo Valley. The newly proposed Alto Maipo designation has a ways to go before gaining official government approval, but with wineries such as Concha y Toro and Viña Santa Rita involved, the idea is likely to gain momentum.

The Maipo Valley currently encompasses more than 3,800,000 total acres of land (25,000 of which are under vine) and is the historical center of Chile's red wine industry. The prime spots in the valley -- and those that would be subsequently included in the new proposed appellation -- run along the eastern edge at elevations of 600 meters or more, where poor alluvial soils and a long growing season are ideal for the late-ripening Cabernet Sauvignon. Alto Maipo, as currently envisioned, would encompass 241,600 acres and would have 8,800 acres planted, which represents 34 percent of the total Maipo plantings. The area is home to wines such as Concha y Toro's Don Melchor and Santa Rita's Casa Real -- two wines with track records of more than a decade, which is still uncommon for Chile's burgeoning high-end wine industry.

Along with the region's established players, outstanding wines have debuted in recent years from Viña Almaviva, Viñedo Chadwick, Viña Haras de Pirque, Viña Quebrada de Macul, Antiyal and others that have helped bring further recognition to the area.

"We want to define the first terroir-based appellation of Chile," says Álvaro Espinoza, owner and winemaker of Antiyal, referring to the fact that the appellations already in use were originally political boundaries that have since been applied to the wines produced in those areas. "And that means Chile needs to rethink itself."

"There's a lot of work to do -- when you decide what's in and what's out, you affect land prices and other things. So you have to do the research correctly," said Espinoza, who, along with other members of the Alto Maipo Association, has begun analyzing the data recorded by governmental weather stations over the past 30 years.

The proposed Alto Maipo appellation would include the areas of Pirque, Puente Alto and Peñalolén, along with part of Buin. In addition to defining itself along terroir lines, the group is also concerned with maintaining Alto Maipo as a prime agricultural area in the face of the urban expansion of nearby Santiago, the nation's rapidly growing capital that has already extended itself into parts of Maipo that were formerly vineyard areas.

"This group will give us a strong voice. We can have an effect on the area's development by protecting it agriculturally," Espinoza said.

Read more about the Maipo Valley's wines: