Chile Part 1

Welcome to Vine to Wine this is your host Linda Moran. Today we are going to begin a two part series to discuss the wines that are coming from Chile. South America is not really a new comer to the world's wine scene. Right now it appears to be more of a revival of the wine industry, especially in Chile. Cortez introduced the vinifera grape to Chile in the early 1520's and within 30 years it became a prospering commercial venture. During the terrifying phylloxera plague of Europe and the United States, Chile's isolation proved to be beneficial, as they were not affected by the devastating plant disease. The wine industry blossomed. Although as a result, the taxation of the industry became very heavy. Along with many other things, the political unrest in the country nearly destroyed the wine industry. However, in the past few decades the struggling industry has made a comeback and as we all know many of the country's wines are being exported. As you may have noticed from your grocery store shelves, the wines are primarily inexpensive and red. The red wines, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, although, not quite world class wines, are easy to drink and great for a reasonably priced house wine. Join me tomorrow as we continue to talk about the wines of Chile. And thanks for joining me on today's Vine to Wine.