Itata

The Valle de Itata (Itata Valley) wine-growing area is located 400 kilometres south of the capital Santiago and 50 kilometres east of Concepción in Chile. Together with the Bío-Bío and Malleco areas, it forms the northernmost part of the Valle Sur region. It is crossed by the Itata and Ñuble rivers. The climate is characterised by cool and windy summers and rainy winters. The vineyards cover around 10,000 hectares of vines on sandy, mineral-rich and high-yielding soils. They are mainly planted with the Moscatel de Alejandría (Muscat d'Alexandrie) and País (Listán Prieto) varieties.

Childe - politische Landkarte und Karte Weinbaugebiete

In contrast to the more northerly areas, sufficient rainfall means that no artificial irrigation is required. Viticulture was already practised here in the early colonial period by Spanish immigrants in the 16th century and wines were produced from the varieties for the whole country. Due to the introduction of French vines and cultivation in warmer areas with better wine quality as a result, the region fell into oblivion. It was only at the end of the 1990s that people began to produce better quality wines, mainly from the Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay varieties, in addition to the simple mass-produced wines. Well-known producers include Casas de Giner, Tierras de Arrau, Tierra y Fuego and Viñedos del Larqui.

Chile map: CC BY-SA 3.0, Link
Chile wine-growing regions: Trekkingchile

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Itata

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