The Curicó Valley is located about 200 kilometres south of Santiago, it straddles the Pan-American highway and borders Colchagua Valley in the north and Maule to the south. In contrast to other Chilean regions, the soils here are much less uniform. Numerous rivers and streams from the Andes have created alluvial soils with high gravel and boulder content at lower elevations. At higher elevations volcanic rock prevails. This diversity of soils generates an assortment of grape varieties. Cabernet Sauvignon dominates with a share of well-over one third, but in addition to other red varieties such as Carménère and Merlot, there are also considerable plantings of white grapes, especially Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay. The white wines are mostly produced from fruit from the cooler, higher, rocky slopes which allows the grapes to retain their freshness and lively acidity. The climate in the valley is warm with a Mediterranean nature, but the nights can be cool and irrigation, so essential elsewhere in Chile, is not necessarily required here. Red wines also benefit from the more temperate climate, showing elegance rather than power and often exhibiting beautiful finesse. Historically one of the oldest wine-growing valleys in the country, this is also the region where Miguel Torres of Spain invested over 40 years ago.
