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In an interview with the Decanter's Beverly Blanning, two distinguished winery owners, Paul Pontallier (of Chateau Margaux) and Bruno Prats (former owner of Cos d'Estournel), explained their investment in Chile, saying they were attracted to the consistent climate, ungrafted vines, and absence of disease. The country was untouched by phylloxera, the 19th-century disease that nearly destroyed French wines. Along narrow valleys in the South American country are plots of arable land ideally suited to precipitous vineyards. A careful examination of a large-scale wine industry map like those of Germany's Mosel and Rhein regions helps readers judge the overall quality of Chilean wines. Also, the practice Chile shares with California wineries by putting the varietal name on the label makes it easier to identify the vintages and varieties. As Chile's output swells, the country's winemakers are pushing boldly into new areas, new blending formulas, and new grape varieties. Chilean syrah has quickly found another home for itself, and one finds Chilean tempranillos -- very good ones -- on international restaurants and shop wine lists.
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