The regions · Chile
Casablanca and the coast: the cool side of Chilean wine
Casablanca and its neighboring coastal valleys are the cool side of Chilean wine. Here the Pacific is in charge: morning fog, a chilly breeze and grapes that ripen slowly. It's white wine country, with Sauvignon Blanc out in front.
Where it is and what the place is like
Casablanca is about 75 km northwest of Santiago, already close to the sea. Just to the south, right on the coast, is the San Antonio Valley, home to the Leyda zone, about 100 km west of the capital. There are vineyards there just 4 km from the sea.
The cold comes from the ocean. Off the coast runs the Humboldt Current, a cold-water current that sends a chilly wind over the vineyards. In the morning, a thick fog covers everything and usually lifts around noon. With sun but no scorching heat, the grapes ripen slowly and hold on to their acidity.
Casablanca's first vineyard dates from 1982, planted by Pablo Morandé, then winemaker at Concha y Toro; frost wiped out the first attempt, and the grapes only really arrived in the middle of the decade. Wines of Chile, the producers' association, calls the valley the pioneer of cool-climate wine in the country.
The region's grapes
Casablanca is white wine country. In the survey by SAG, the Chilean government's agricultural service, Sauvignon Blanc covered 46% of the vineyards in 2022, Chardonnay 27% and Pinot Noir 17%. Together, nine out of every ten vines.
San Antonio follows the same recipe, with even more Pinot Noir: 51% Sauvignon Blanc, 27% Pinot Noir and 12% Chardonnay. And about 90% of those vineyards are in the Leyda zone.
What wine comes from there
Vibrant whites with high acidity, the kind that wake up your mouth. Wines of Chile also talks about minerality, that wet-stone, slightly salty feeling some whites from near the sea have. Chardonnay can come out light or, with oak barrels, creamier and oakier.
Pinot Noir makes a red with a lighter body, good for anyone who finds reds heavy. In the higher, warmer, frost-free parts of Casablanca, Merlot and Syrah come in. And, according to Wines of Chile, a little further inland in San Antonio come some of the most intense cool-climate Syrahs in the country.
What the label says
Casablanca and San Antonio are subregions of the Aconcagua Region on the official map of Decree 464, from 1994. Casablanca was already in the first version of the law. San Antonio and the Leyda zone were added in 2002, and the Lo Abarca area in 2018.
The rules are the same as in all of Chile: the place name on the label requires at least 75% of grapes from there, and the grape name, at least 75% of that grape. The word “Costa” is the clue to the coast: in Casablanca, it applies when at least 85% of the wine comes from the valley; in San Antonio, from the areas of San Juan, Santo Domingo, Cartagena and Algarrobo.
Leyda and Lo Abarca: even closer to the sea
Before grapes, Leyda was land for pasture, wheat and barley, says Wines of Chile. The vineyards sit at about 180 meters of altitude, a few kilometers from the Pacific, on hills of granite and clay.
By law, the Leyda zone is made up of the communes of San Antonio and Santo Domingo. Lo Abarca, a rural locality in Cartagena, became its own area in 2018. They're small names on the label, but they count for a lot: grapes raised in the sea wind.
What it pairs with
Coastal Sauvignon Blanc is a partner for beach food: grilled fish, casquinha de siri (stuffed crab shell), bolinho de bacalhau (salt cod fritters), ceviche, shrimp pastel. The acidity cuts through the fat of fried food.
Oaked Chardonnay goes well with moqueca and bobó de camarão (shrimp in cassava cream). Pinot Noir pairs with salmon, roast chicken and mushroom risotto. Or with whatever's in the fridge: pairing is a suggestion.
The grapes in the labels from here
In the house's 42 labels from Casablanca and the coast, the grapes that show up most. The number is how many labels they're in.
To start with: wines from Casablanca and the coast by price range
The price range the house saw at big stores in Brazil, in the month shown. The price changes; the range tends to stay.
- Santa Rita Medalla Real Gran Reserva ChardonnayR$ 150 to 200checked Sep 2026
Throwing a party? How many bottles to buy →
Top rated from Casablanca and the coast
Average rating from the people who drank it (X-Wines), from 1 to 5. Tap to see the wine's page.
- Amayna Pinot Noirrating ★ 4.3
- Amayna Sauvignon Blancrating ★ 4.1
- Casas del Bosque Sauvignon Blanc Gran Reservarating ★ 4.1
- Matetic Corralillo Winemaker's Blendrating ★ 4.1
- Casas del Bosque Syrah Gran Reservarating ★ 4.0
- Lapostolle Cuvée Alexandre Chardonnay (Atalayas Vineyard)rating ★ 4.0
- Terrunyo Sauvignon Blancrating ★ 4.0
- Matetic Corralillo Syrahrating ★ 3.9
See the labels from Casablanca and the coast in the search →