Central Valley
The vine was introduced to Chile's Central Valley by the Spanish Conquistadores in the mid-16th century, but 1851 marked the turning point for the Chilean wine industry when Silvestre Ochagavia Echazarreta imported and planted a range of French vine varieties.The Central Valley has historically produced the vast majority of Chilean wine, and is composed of four main sub regions. These wine regions are the Maipo, Rapel, Curico and Maule Valleys. Maule is also subdivided with the most significant region being Curicó, which includes Lontue. The Central Valley houses some of the oldest Chilean wineries with around 112,000 hectares of high-quality vines planted between the Andes in the east, down to the low coastal range in the west. Rainfall in the Central Valley tends to be higher in the south and also in the east, on the slopes of the Andes. Sauvignon and other red wine grape varieties are favoured by these sub regions.