Chile is a country of extreme geological landscapes. Spanning 2,666 miles from north to south, it belongs to three different continents: South America, Antarctica and Oceanica.

At Chile's northern limits is the arid Atacama desert, which blooms with wild flowers once per decade. To its east, bordering Argentina, are the majestic, snow-capped Andes Mountains.  Glaciers are to the south, and the cooling Pacific Ocean is to the west. It is within the Central Valley, nestled in a slim 600-mile long depression between the Andes Mountains and the coastal range, where one finds Chile's viticultural heartland and the source of the finest wines of South America.
 
Chile is the oldest ‘new world’ wine growing region, surpassing Australia and California by a couple hundred years. Chilean winemaking began in the 1500s with the arrival of Spanish missionaries, who brought with them vine cuttings of the País grape, which is still grown today. However, it was France who truly shaped the Chilean wine industry that we most appreciate today.

By mid-19th century, Chile had grown rich off its mineral deposits. The emerging wealth classes emulated French culture and tastes, and Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec/Cot and Merlot (among other noble varieties) were introduced. It was at this time that a ‘grape vine nursery’ was founded by naturalist Claudio Gay, which housed 30 different vitis vinifera cuttings from all over France. This proved to be a blessing when, in1870, the phylloxera louse began its devastating march across the vineyards of Europe and North America. Chile's vineyards, protected by natural barriers on all frontiers, remained untouched. When Europe began the task of restoration, it turned to Chile for young, healthy plants to be grafted onto phylloxera-resistant stocks. Chile's vineyards contain rare examples of pure, ungrafted European vines that still flourish today.