Chile's winemaking history includes old plantings of pre-Phylloxera roots that helped save the disease-ridden vineyards of Europe. Since then, Chile has earned a reputation for producing affordable and highly quaffable reds. Quality is steadily increasing over time, and there are some styles that deserve your attention. Coastal Chilean Chardonnays from Casablanca Valley, for example, are considered the best. Leyda Valley produces Sauvignon Blanc with a chalkier texture that is not unlike France's Loire Valley. Some of the finest Carménère, once believed extinct before rediscovery in Chile, is sourced from the Colchagua Valley.
