South of the Bordeaux: Wines from the Southern Hemisphere [Part One]

It’s an oft-quoted statistic that approximately two-thirds of the Earth’s surface is covered by water. However, in the southern hemisphere, water covers one-quarter of the surface, and in the latitudes that make wine making possible (between 35° and 45° south), land is actually somewhat scarcer than north of the equator. Nevertheless, the wine producers of South America, Southern Africa and Australasia are known for some brilliant, flavoursome wines.

Colchagua Valley, Chile

Thousands of miles separate the vineyards of wines made in Chile, South Africa and New Zealand and these regions are fast becoming renowned for their distinct and delicious output. Chilean wine has enjoyed great success just a turn around the Pacific, with several strains popular in the bars and restaurants of the Far East. Whilst the 33 Chilean Miners were trapped in the infamous San Jose mine, requests for bottles of wine were rejected by NASA doctors, but you can bet many were guzzled after their later rescue! The international market certainly celebrated on their behalf, with Waitrose confirming that in the days following the successful rescue, sales of Chilean wine leapt 25 per cent.

Source: Getty Images via BBC News

It’s never too late to celebrate! Grown in the beautiful Colchagua Valley, the hand-picked grapes of the Antu Ninquen Syrah give us a full-bodied red, comforting and warm. BUY CHILEAN WINE ONLINE FROM CLASSIC WINE DIRECT!!

Next time, we’ll look at the contrasting histories of wine production in South Africa and New Zealand.