Both Chile and Argentina have long histories of wine. Wine grapes arrived from Europe in the 16th century. Some of the grapes grown here are today almost forgotten and disappeared from their origin.
In Argentina you can find a group of grape varieties called “criolla”, including the most famous one, torrontes, the aromatic white grape that’s made Salta famous, but is also grown in Mendoza. There’s also the “pink” cereza and criolla grande as well as the criolla chica. Most of them are crossings between very old European varieties or local evolutions of them.
Criolla chica is also common in Chile where it is called paìs (and mission in the US). It is only recently that consumers have discovered the greatness of these ancient varieties, almost extinct in Europe, and in their wines.
Visiting South America is a unique opportunity to learn more about them and taste them. They are a welcome addition to the equally great wines from the more “classic” varieties that Chile and Argentina also produce, malbec, carmenère, cabernet, sauvignon blanc, chardonnay, semillon and many, many more. Come and discover in Chile and Argentina.
Join us for a great wine, nature, and culture experience on the wine tour in Argentina and Chile.
Discover the wine countries of Chile and Argentina.
- Chile-Argentina, 13-26 January 2025
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More inspiration: You can get an even better feeling for what you will experience on this tour if you visit the latest tour’s own Facebook group. Lots of pictures and videos from the tour (join the group and you’ll get an update when we post new contents): The wine tour to Chile and Argentina 2023.
