For centuries, it was the silent, humble backbone of Chilean viticulture. It was the wine of the countryside, the drink of the farmer, poured unceremoniously from jugs at family tables. This was País, the first Vitis vinifera grape to be planted in Chile, brought by Spanish missionaries in the mid-16th century. For over 300 years, it was the most planted grape in the country, a symbol of a rustic, domestic wine culture. Then, in the 19th century, as Chile’s aspiring wine industry turned its gaze towards Bordeaux, País was unceremoniously cast aside. French varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot became the new standard-bearers of quality, and País was relegated to the shadows, dismissed as a producer of thin, pale, and insignificant wines. It was a grape with a long history but, it seemed, no future.
Today, that narrative has been completely upended. In one of the most exciting revivals in the modern wine world, País has been resurrected from obscurity. A new generation of winemakers is seeking out the country’s hidden treasures: ancient, gnarled, dry-farmed País vines, some over 200 years old, that survived in the remote southern regions of Maule, Itata, and Bío Bío. By treating these old vines not as relics but as a precious viticultural inheritance, they are crafting wines of incredible character, freshness, and personality. The resurrection of País is more than just the rescue of a grape; it is the rediscovery of Chile’s authentic wine soul.
The story of País is a story of survival. Sharing its DNA with the Mission grape of California and Spain’s Listán Prieto, it was perfectly adapted to the dry, warm climates of central and southern Chile. Its deep roots allowed it to thrive without irrigation, and its resilience meant it could produce a crop even in the most challenging conditions. While the wealthy landowners in the Maipo Valley, closer to Santiago, were busy planting French varieties, the small-scale farmers in the south continued to tend their ancestral País vineyards. These vineyards are living museums of a pre-phylloxera world. Trained as wild, untrellised bush vines on ancient granite soils, they represent a direct link to the very origins of winemaking in the Americas.
For decades, this heritage was ignored. The wine made from these grapes was mostly for local consumption, or it was sold off cheaply to be blended into anonymous bulk wine. The stigma was powerful: País was seen as the grape of the past, incapable of producing the kind of serious, concentrated wines that the international market demanded.
The catalyst for change came from outsiders who saw the incredible potential that the Chileans themselves had overlooked. In the early 2000s, the French winemaker Louis-Antoine Luyt, having trained with natural wine icon Marcel Lapierre in Beaujolais, arrived in Chile. He was captivated by these ancient País vineyards and saw in them the same potential for producing vibrant, terroir-driven wines that his mentor had found in Gamay. Applying the techniques he had learned in Beaujolais—particularly carbonic maceration and a minimal-intervention philosophy—Luyt began producing single-vineyard País wines that were revelatory. They were light, juicy, and bursting with red fruit, yet possessed a unique earthy, mineral character. They were wines that were fun to drink but also spoke profoundly of their place.
Luyt’s work acted as a spark, inspiring a new wave of Chilean winemakers to look at their own heritage with fresh eyes. Producers who had built their reputations on international varieties began to explore the potential of País. Wineries like De Martino, known for their work with Carmenère, started producing exceptional old-vine País. The Garage Wine Co., a pioneer of the Chilean micro-producer movement, began crafting sought-after bottlings from ancient vineyards in Maule and Itata. And a new generation of independent winemakers, like Roberto Henríquez and Manuel Moraga of Cacique Maravilla, made País the very centerpiece of their philosophy, championing the ancestral farming and winemaking traditions of the south.
Today, the wines being made from País are wonderfully diverse. The most common style, inspired by the Beaujolais model, uses carbonic or semi-carbonic maceration. These wines are pale in color, low in tannin, and brilliantly fresh. They brim with notes of wild strawberry, red cherry, and pomegranate, often with a distinctive earthy or smoky undertone from the granitic soils. Served with a slight chill, they are incredibly versatile and refreshing.
However, winemakers are also exploring more traditional vinifications, destemming the grapes and fermenting them in open-top vats to extract more structure and depth. These wines are deeper in color and character, with firmer tannins and a more savory profile, showing notes of dark cherry, dried herbs, and graphite. They demonstrate that País is not a one-trick pony; it is a transparent grape capable of expressing the nuances of its terroir in multiple ways. The latest frontier is sparkling wine. The grape’s naturally high acidity and light body make it a perfect candidate for ancestral method (pétillant naturel) and traditional method sparkling wines, which are often racy, rustic, and incredibly compelling.
The rediscovery of País has had a profound impact that goes beyond the bottle. It has brought international attention and economic vitality to the long-neglected southern wine regions. It has empowered small farmers, giving them a reason to preserve their ancient vineyards rather than ripping them out in favor of more profitable crops. And most importantly, it has helped to forge a new, more confident Chilean wine identity—one that celebrates its own unique history rather than simply imitating European models. The journey of País, from humble workhorse to celebrated icon, is a powerful testament to the value of looking back in order to move forward. It is the taste of Chile’s past, and a very exciting glimpse of its future.
