Almost all wine is produced in one region, the Maipo Valley, located high above the plains nestled in the Andes. In Chile, as in the rest of America, wine production began with the arrival of the conquistadors. At the end of the 19th century, however, there was a real turnaround in the country's wine industry, with the planting of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Sauvignon, Semillon and Riesling. These varieties adapt wonderfully to the Chilean climate and are maybe the only pre-phylloxera clones that exist in the world - a true heritage for humanity. Chilean Carmenere is gaining more and more respect and has every chance to become the iconic variety of the country.