The Valle de Bío-Bío wine-growing region (also Bío-Bío Región, Bío-Bío Valley) is located 500 kilometres south of the capital Santiago in Chile. Together with the two areas of Itata and Malleco, it forms the Valle Sur region. After Bío-Bío, only the small Malleco follows as the southernmost Chilean area. The climate is cool and windy with sufficient rainfall. The vineyards are located along the Bío-Bío river on fertile, sandy and stony soils from river deposits. In contrast to the more northerly Chilean areas, sufficient rainfall means that no artificial irrigation is required. The traditional Moscatel de Alejandría (Muscat d'Alexandrie) and País (Listán Prieto) are mainly grown here. Other varieties are Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Riesling, Gewürztraminer and Pinot Noir. Mainly simple mass wines are produced, but increasingly also quality wines from international varieties. The Viña Canata winery describes itself as the southernmost winery in the world. Other producers include Carpe Diem, Don Francisco and VinSur.
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