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Touring the wine routes of Chile once meant exhausting day trips from Santiago. Nowadays, with the many cabins available for rent along the different wine routes, it's easier than ever to discover one of Chile's wonder: its fantastics wine and wineries set in a beautiful landscape with the ever present Andes in the background.

Wine has been made in Chile for centuries. Indeed, there was a European heyday for its wines in the late 19th century as the phylloxera louse ravaged the Wineries and vineyards of the Old World and consumers and merchants turned to Chile for a reliable supply of good wine. But it is in the last decade that Chilean wine has really made a name for itself, producing unrivaled pure fruit flavors from well-known grape varieties. Following the mantra of quality not quantity, their winemakers have produced an enviable range that's excellent value for money at every price level.

Most of Chile's Wineries and vineyards are contained in the roughly 300-mile long Central Valley that runs between the Andes and Coastal mountain ranges in the center of the country. They are divided into a series of valleys, each having its own unique characteristics and thus specializing in grape varieties most suited to its climate and location.

Elqui Valley

Known for its clean skies, quiet rural villages clinging to the mountainsides, famous poet and Nobel Prize Gabriela Mistral, mystic energy and pisco distilleries, the Elqui Valley is also famous for its immense Wineries and vineyards that seem to reach the clouds. The production is divided between table grapes and aromatic white varieties used for Pisco, Chile's national spirit. This valley is the northernmost and highest wine region in Chile (wine plantations go up to more than 2,000 meters - 6,500 feet). Cabernet Sauvignon leads the wine-grape production, but it is the cool-climate Syrah that has attracted the most attention. The Elqui Valley's unique combination of geographic, geological, and climatic factors result in surprisingly fresh and spicy wines.

Aconcagua Valley

The Aconcagua Valley is a small region dominated by Mount Aconcagua. At over 22,000 feet high it's the tallest mountain in America. It not only lends beauty to the horizon and attracts serious mountain climbers from around the world, but its snow-capped peak provides the irrigation water essential for agriculture in the valley below. This valley is best known for its reds, and plantings of Syrah / Shiraz are on the increase. The warm spring and long, dry autumn provide an extended hang time (the length of time the grape stays on the vine) and this in turn usually produce wines that are more complex.

Casablanca Valley

The Casablanca Valley is Santiago's gateway to the sea. Anyone making the 1.5-hour drive between the capital and the major port of Valparaiso cuts directly across the valley, now heavily planted to vines. Close to the coast and exposed to the cold Humboldt Current, the Casablanca Valley is a cool-climate region that focuses on Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. In recognition of certain similarities between Casablanca and California's Napa Valley, the two valleys signed an alliance in 2002, prompting Casablanca to create a wine route and develop tourist attractions in the area. A number of wineries, some of which offer excellent restaurants, are easily accessible directly from the highway.

San Antonio and Leyda

South of the Casablanca Valley is the San Antonio Valley, which includes, which includes a tiny area called Leyda, Chile's newest winegrowing region. This is one of the one of Chile's smallest viticultural areas. The first commercial vines were planted in the late 1990s and the first harvest was as recent as 2001. It's just 12km from the coast and even cooler than the Casablanca Valley. The constant sea breeze blows inland and dries the grapes slightly, adding to their concentration. Leyda has quickly established a glowing reputation for high quality Sauvignon Blanc.

Maipo Valley

The Maipo Valley surrounds Santiago and is the historical home of Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon. It's often compared to the Médoc area of Bordeaux, with half of the Wineries and vineyards planted with Cabernet Sauvignon and the reminder with Carmenere, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Many winemakers blend wines from different Maipo Wineries and vineyards to take advantage of the diverse qualities available in the distinct areas that make the Maipo Valley. Winemaking here ranges from tiny boutique efforts to large-scale multi-million liter production centers, from nascent dreams to time-honored traditions, from industrial-scale to biodynamic — and everything in between. Winery architecture is equally diverse and includes everything from treasured national monuments to prize-winning ultra-modern designs.

Cachapoal Valley

Cachapoal Valley, the northern district of the Rapel Valley, is about an hour's drive south of Santiago (it begins at about 100km - 60 miles south of Santiago). The climate in Cachapoal is dry and sunny. The cooler zones are near the Andes; the warmer Wineries and vineyards lie on the other side of the valley near the Coastal range. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Carmenere dominate the Wineries and vineyards here. Modern huasos (Chilean cowboys) wear the same wide-brimmed, flat-topped hats (called chupayas) their grandfathers did, although today they participate in rodeos for sport and ride horses for pleasure. Perhaps nowhere else is the success of Chile's wine business and economy in general more evident than in the size and styles of the powerful 4-wheel drive pick-up trucks they drive today.

Colchagua Valley

Two thirds of Rapel Valley Wineries and vineyards are planted in the Colchagua Valley, the southernmost of the Rapel Valley's two sub-appellations. In little more than ten years, the valley transformed itself from a sleepy, fertile farming area to a leading producer of some of Chile's finest red wines, and many long-time grape growers have established their own wineries and now offer wines under their own labels. New World style reds are produced here, mainly from Carmenère and Cabernet Sauvignon. Rhône-style reds made from Syrah (Shiraz) are also produced here, showing an excellent example of what Chile can achieve. There is also a push toward organic and biodynamic vitiviniculture.

Curicó Valley

Most of the country's best-known wineries can be found in the Curicó Valley, Chile's second largest wine producing valley. Located 250 km (155 miles) south of Santiago in the southernmost sector of Chile's long Central Valley, the area's flat terrain is easy to harvest, the soils are well-drained and water for irrigation is abundant, so yields are higher than elsewhere in Chile. There's great diversity too, Curicó's winding rivers and diverse geographic landscape providing the opportunity to work with many different varieties, from Cabernet Sauvignon to excellent value Sauvignon Blanc. The wineries in this area have a great interest for lovers of agro-tourism as they can complement a visit with outdoor activities such as visits to national parks or colonial villages.

Maule Valley

Chile's largest wine region is the Maule Valley, with 43% of the country's total planted area concentrated here at the southern end of the long Central Valley. It's geographically diverse, with an undulating valley floor and three sub-regions: Pacific, Inter-Andes-Pacific, and Andes. Historically, the most commonly planted grape here was País (also known as Mission), which was brought over by the Spanish. However, País is gradually being replaced by Cabernet Sauvignon, while Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Carmenère follow close behind. It's also in this area, near Cauquenes, that Chile's first organic wines were produced.

Bío Bío Valley

This up-and-coming area has been likened to northern France regarding its climate. Annual rainfall (over 1300mm) is higher than other Chilean wine regions (no need for irrigation). In the evening, cool mists drift down from the Andes into the Bio Bio Valley, cooling the Wineries and vineyards. As a result of these conditions, the fruit develops slowly and the harvest is usually three weeks later than the Maipo Valley. Pais, the grapes the Spaniards introduced into Chile in the 16th Century, is still the most planted grape here, but more recognizable grapes like Chardonnay, Riesling, and Gewurztraminer also find a good home in the Wineries and vineyards of the Bio Bio Valley, allowing the comparison with northern France (Alsace, Burgundy) where these grape are also found.