Casablanca Valley
Cool maritime
A cool, coastal valley between Santiago and the Pacific, and Chile's original source of crisp Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.
Overview
About Casablanca Valley
The Casablanca Valley lies about 30 kilometres from the Pacific, on the road between Santiago and Valparaíso. Before the 1980s it was largely farmland, thought too cool and frost-prone for wine. In 1982 the winemaker Pablo Morandé planted the first vineyards there, and the valley's success with cool-climate whites persuaded others to follow, opening up Chile's coastal ranges and changing the country's reputation.
The cold Humboldt Current from the south Pacific and morning fog cool the vineyards, so the grapes ripen slowly and stay high in acidity. The result is a region best known for crisp, aromatic Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay, along with Pinot Noir, and, in the warmer parts, Syrah. The valley is also the easiest of Chile's coastal regions to combine with a visit to Valparaíso or Santiago.
Casablanca Valley is marked on the map.
Chile
Shaded: Valparaíso. Map units are states, provinces or départements, so a smaller place appears as the larger area that contains it.
The land
Climate & terroir
Climate
Cool maritime
Cool, foggy mornings and mild afternoons, the result of the cold Humboldt Current and the gap in the coastal range that draws in Pacific air. Harvest is later than in Chile's warmer inland valleys, and spring frost is a hazard.
Terroir & soils
What the vines grow in
Granite-derived, sandy-clay loam soils across the valley's hills, with more clay on the valley floor. The soils are relatively low in fertility, which helps with concentration.
Go deeper
Rules, years & producers
Casablanca Valley is a Denominación de Origen, part of the Aconcagua region, and its wines are usually labelled by grape.
Casablanca Valley DO
A Denominación de Origen, requiring at least 75% of grapes from the valley to name it.
What's grown here
Grapes
Each grape's page links back here.