Limarí Province () is one of three

provinces A province is an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions outside Italy. The term ''provi ...

of the

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...

of Coquimbo Region (IV). Its capital is the city of

Ovalle Ovalle is a city in the Coquimbo Region of Chile, founded in 1831 as a settlement. It has a population of more than 113,000 people. The name Ovalle was chosen to honor to Chile's vice-president, José Tomás Ovalle. Ovalle is the capital of th ...

Geography and demography

According to the 2002 census by the National Statistics Institute (''INE''), the province spans an area of and had a population of 156,158 inhabitants (77,087 men and 79,071 women), giving it a population density of . Between the 1992 and 2002 censuses, the population grew by 10.3% (14,607 persons).

Comunas

The province is composed by 5 comunas: *

* Río Hurtado * Monte Patria *

Combarbalá Combarbalá is the capital city of the Communes of Chile, commune of Combarbala. It is located in the Limarí Province, Coquimbo Region, Region of Coquimbo, at an elevation of 900 m (2,952 ft). It is known for the tourist astronomic o ...

* Punitaqui

Limarí Valley wine region

The Limarí Valley Denomination of Origin (DO) is defined by the Chilean

Appellation An appellation is a legally defined and protected geographical indication used to identify where the ingredients of a food or beverage originated, most often used for the origin of wine grapes. Restrictions other than geographical boundaries, s ...

system, the legally defined and protected geographical indication used to identify where the grapes for a wine were grown. The valley is located 470 km (290 mi) north of

Santiago Santiago (, ; ), also known as Santiago de Chile (), is the capital and largest city of Chile and one of the largest cities in the Americas. It is located in the country's central valley and is the center of the Santiago Metropolitan Regi ...

, in the middle section of the

Coquimbo Coquimbo is a port List of cities in Chile, city, Communes of Chile, commune and capital of the Elqui Province, located on the Pan-American Highway, in the Coquimbo Region of Chile. Coquimbo is situated in a valley south of La Serena, Chile, La S ...

. Best known for its

Pisco Pisco is a colorless or yellowish-to-amber-colored spirit produced in winemaking regions of Peru and Chile. Made by distilling fermented grape juice into a high-proof spirit, it was developed by 16th-century Spanish settlers as an alternativ ...

s, vines were first planted here in the mid-16th century and have seen a recent resurgence, due to new technologies and winemakers seeking new

terroir (; ; from ''terre'', ) is a French language, French term used to describe the environmental factors that affect a crop's phenotype, including unique environment contexts, farming practices and a crop's specific growth habitat. Collectively, th ...

s. The area is known for producing Sauvignon and

Chardonnay Chardonnay (, ; ) is a green-skinned grape variety used in the production of white wine. The variety originated in the Burgundy wine region of eastern France, but is now grown wherever wine is produced, from England to New Zealand. For new a ...

, first planted during the 1990s, and also produces

Syrah Syrah (), also known as Shiraz, is a dark-skinned grape variety grown throughout the world and used primarily to produce red wine. In 1999, Syrah was found to be the offspring of two obscure grapes from southeastern France, Dureza and Mondeuse ...

and Pinot, with a climate similar to Marlborough in New Zealand. The

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is ...

has a strong influence on the region with the cooling Camanchaca, a fog that enters the valley from the west each morning and retreats as the sun rises over the

Andes The Andes ( ), Andes Mountains or Andean Mountain Range (; ) are the List of longest mountain chains on Earth, longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range ...

from the east. With less than 4 inches of rainfall per year, drip irrigation is used to water the vines that grow in the mineral-rich soil. The combination creates fresh wines with a distinct mineral edge.

Grape distribution by varietal

* Climate: Desert-like climate: 95 mm (4 in) of rainfall per year. Semi-arid region with cool coastal influences and good minerality in the soil. * Soils: clay, silt and chalk. * Primary grapes: cool-climate

Sauvignon Blanc Sauvignon blanc () is a green-skinned grape variety that originates from the city of Bordeaux in France. The grape most likely gets its name from the French words ''sauvage'' ("wild") and ''blanc'' ("white") due to its early origins as an ind ...

. * Total hectares planted: 1,483 ha (3,665 acres).Limarí Valley distribution chart
www.winesofchile.org retrieved October 10, 2013

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Limari Province Provinces of Coquimbo Region Provinces of Chile

Geography and demography

Comunas

Limarí Valley wine region

Grape distribution by varietal

See also

References