Wine from Maule Valley

The Maule Valley is the most extensive winemaking region in Chile, approximately 160 miles south of Santiago with the greater part if its vineyards in the Central Valley and on the slopes of the coastal mountains. The cultivated zones total 26 thousand hectares, with 9 thousand of white varieties, predominantly Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay; and 6 thousand of red varieties, mainly Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. The climate is classified as low-humidity Mediterranean. This region forms a wide valley with rolling hills, framed by the Coastal Mountains to the west and the Andes to the east. The climate is sub-humid Mediterranean. Day-to-night fluctuations in temperature range from 15 degrees to 18 degrees Celsius.