Nuevas viñas en Chile central: 1850-1900

Abstract

Beginning in the mid 19th century, a new economic activity emerged in Central Chile: the French vineyard. The largest concentration of this activity was in the agricultural areas outside of Santiago, specifically in the Llano del Maipo (Maipo Valley). Towards the south, the new vineyards were smaller but no less important because the conditions necessary for their development existed. The new vineyards were based in French vitiviniculture because the plants, cultivation techniques, and technology were principally imported from France. Indeed, even French technicians were hired to direct the labors of this new activity. At the same time, they built buildings and installation including the principal house with its park and subterranean cellars for the wine to be sold in the international and national market. State involvement was present in the legal dispositions to protect Chilean wines form diseases, the hiring of French specialists for the Agricultural Institute and other agricultural schools in Chile. Additionally, through the Quinta Normal de Agricultura, diverse study commissions were held both in and outside Chile. Beginning in the 1880s, and after the incorporation of the northern mining provinces, Tarapacá and Antofagasta, and the Araucania in the south, wine production and its commercialization in the Chilean market became more dynamic. In deed, it was the salvation of national winemakers, becoming more important than the international market where there was limited demand for Chilean wine.