Alta Delta Shiraz 2011

This richly pigmented red grape yields inky purplish-red wines that vary greatly in style, depending on where it is grown. In warmer climates, such as Colchagua, the wines are often big, lusty, juicy delights that take center stage wherever they appear. In cooler climates, such as San Antonio or Elqui, they turn sublimely spicy and complex and often appear on the top lists of international tasting panels.

Chilean wine production dates back more than 400 years. Spanish colonists, quick to recognize the terrain as ideal for viticulture, were the first to plant vines in the valleys that would come to define Chilean wine regions. They started with País, which would be the primary grape for Chilean wine for the next 300 years, until globetrotting Chileans, flush from the country’s agricultural and mining riches, brought home French vines to grow their favorite Bordeaux varieties.