The presidential Republic of Colombia (Spanish: República de Colombia) in the far north-west of South America with the capital Bogotá covers 1,141,748 km². The country's name is derived from Christopher Columbus (1451-1506). Colombia borders both the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea and, on the mainland, Panama to the north-west, Venezuela to the east, Brazil to the south-east, Peru to the south and Ecuador to the south-west.
Viticulture
The country has a recent history of viticulture, as the first vineyards were only planted in the 1920s. Before that, sweet, alcohol-enriched wines and spirits were mainly imported from Spain. In 1984, the import of non-Latin American wines was banned. The climate is tropical with long dry periods between December and March, and June and September. Downy mildew is a major threat to viticulture.
In 2021, the vineyards covered 3,131 hectares, around half of which are used for the production of table grapes. Most of these are hybrids and American vines, the most common varieties being Isabella and Italia. Table grapes are grown in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta and Ocana in the north, wine grapes in the Cauca Valley in the south-east. The white wine varieties Chardonnay, Malvasia Fina, Müller-Thurgau, Muscat Blanc, Pedro Ximénez, Riesling and Silvaner, as well as the red wine varieties Barbera, Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir are cultivated. In particular, fortified dessert wines and eaux-de-vie are produced. The production of dry wines only began in the early 1990s.
Map: © Goruma
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Coat of arms: Public domain, Link
