Chilean wine has captured a significant sector of the US market, and for a decade now the buzz has been of Chilean wines and their potential. While they may not have hit the peaks of relative newcomers such as Australia, we have not yet seen the best that Chile has to offer. In the meantime Chile is a great source for well made value priced wine. If Chile's Bordeaux varietal reds such as Cabernet and Merlot can be given a broad character, it is that of modern tasting, highly colored, bright, fruity, and characterful wines that may take to a few years of age, although most are best drunk young and will rarely cost more than $14.

A handful of the best are pushing the $20 threshold however, a territory recently vacated by most California Cabernets of note. Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc (the most widely planted vinifera grape in Chile) are the mainstays of the white exports. The ripe and tropical styles of Chardonnay have to date met with more critical acclaim than Sauvignon Blanc, but the sauvignons can often be better, with higher levels of acidity and fresher, racier characters.