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Chilean Wine Laws

July 25th, 2008 Posted in Chile

Chile first enacted laws in 1985 that controlled how wine would be labeled. The laws stated that labels must include information about the producer, the volume of the bottle, the alcohol content, and whether or not so called table grapes were used. Table grapes are grapes not designed to be used in wine, but left out on the table to be eatens by passers by. Chaptalization was forbidden, but acidification was allowed.

In 1995, Chile enacted more laws designed to protect the various subregions of Chile and to stipulate rules for which grape varieties are allowed. 23 grape varieties were included, and Pais, the indigenous mission grape, was not one of them. The laws also stated that if a label mentions a region and a grape variety, the wine must be made of at least 75% of the stated grape variety from the stated region. The terms Riserva and Gran Riserva were allowed, but unlike in Spain, there are no rules for how long the wines must be aged or how the wines are produced. In effect the terms vary by winemaker, much like “reserve” wines in California.

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