The Mighty Humboldt Current and Its Effect on the Coastal Wines of Chile

The Mighty Humboldt Current and Its Effect on the Coastal Wines of Chile
February 16,2025

The world is a complex place, and wine is often a mirror of its environment. It’s what makes drinking wine so fascinating, for example, how Chardonnay and Pinot Noir across the globe can share certain characteristics but can be different in its expressions. Recently, Master The World conducted a Zoom masterclass in how Chile’s coastal wines are shaped by environmental factors larger than just terroir, focusing on the Humboldt Current. Joaquín Hidalgo, South American editor for Vinous.com and wine columnist for Argentina’s La Nación newspaper, presented a compelling case. He is one of the foremost experts on this potent and important phenomenon, that not only affects wine production but global weather patterns, such as El Niño and La Niña, which significantly impact us in the form of flooding and drought.

Humboldt Current, Southern Hemisphere, explanation by Joaquín Hidalgo. Image taken during the Zoom presentation. Map courtesy of Wines of Chile.

The mighty Humboldt Current is a major player on the world’s weather stage, a deep, cold oceanic current that runs along the western coast of South America, affecting temperature and humidity. Originating in the icy waters of Antartica, it flows north from the southern tip of Chile to Peru, and then turns west at the equator, this upwelling bringing nutrients to the surface, resulting in one of the richest marine ecosystems in the world. At almost 600 miles wide, it creates a wall of cold water that affects humidity, creating a thick fog across the coastal wine regions of Chile from early morning to midday. While filtering the sunlight, it allows wine grape varieties, such as Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, to slowly ripen, and with more hang time comes more delicate complexity. But this same fog keeps temperatures low, and consequently this lack of evaporation means very little rainfall, accounting for arid conditions. Compounded by the ancient Cordillera de la Costa mountain range that runs parallel to the ocean, the terroir is one of granite soils and a consistent climate along coastal Chile, with differences in the various valleys that open to the ocean. So at first blush, what seems to be simple is definitely more complex, the topography of the region creates pockets of varying degrees of temperature, humidity and sunlight.

Limarí soils, Courtesy of Joaquín Hidalgo, taken during Zoom presentation

Coastal Chile shares these climate conditions with other great terroir across the world, such as Burgundy, challenging winemakers to be precise with vineyard management to maximize their potential, ultimately affecting the style of wines that they can produce. The chill effect accounts for low pH, which translates to higher acidity, and leaner, more angular flavors.

Coastal Chilean Chardonnay consists of rich flavors around a tart core, that despite the sharp acidity and low pH, express ripe fruity aromas of apple and pear, with notes of lime and ginger, that swirl around a rich palate. For the Pinot Noirs, they display more vivid color, with crisp aromas of sweet and sour cherry, wet earth, a hint of blood, tart acidity and a lean yet ripe palate.

Six wines were compared, three Chardonnays and three Pinot Noirs, from the Limarí and Casablanca Valleys and the Leyda area. It is so utterly fascinating, when tasted side by side, how they channel these distinctive differences. To truly appreciate the impact of the Humboldt Current on the Chilean terroir, the wines were tasted in order of location.

Limarí Valley, Courtesy of Concha Y Toro

Limarî Valley, Courtesy of Concha Y Toro

The Limarí Valley, with its calcareous clay soils and cool climate, has the potential to make Chile’s finest Chardonnay. Stretching from 12-22 kilometers from the Pacific Ocean, it can be hot and extremely arid, desert-like, after the morning fog burns off. The Andes Mountains is an important resource for water here, with snowmelt making viticulture possible. We compared three different wines from here, two Chardonnay and one Pinot Noir.

The Miguel Torres Cordillera de los Andes Chardonnay 2023 is a refreshing wine, its sharper acidity and mineral backbone set the stage for intense aromas of floral, citrus and lychee. Broad and creamy on the palate, with a chalky texture and medium alcohol, there is a slight salinity to the wine, credited to the limestone soils.

The Concha Y Toro “Amelia” Pinot Noir 2022 is a more high acid, mineral version, with red cherry fruit and a hint of black tea leaf. There is that characteristic chalkiness on the palate, with a richness, and structure coming from the red clay vineyard soils. Another refreshing wine, it has a long and persistent finish.

The Santa Rita Floresta Chardonnay 2021 is a richer, more elegant wine, with lots of fresh acidity. Aromas of white flowers, citrus, white peach, and pear populate the nose while that creamy texture frames the long finish. There is that mineral note, and winemaking techniques may account for some of the differences, aging on the lees and 12 months in French oak barrels.

Montes Alpha vineyard in Casablanca Valley

The Casablanca Valley, with its iron-rich granite soils, lends a lean, smooth texture to the wines. This is Chile’s main white wine production area, making vibrant wines from Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc, and noted for their minerality balanced with citrus and tropical fruit notes. Pinot Noir is being explored in the higher elevations.

The Montes Alpha Chardonnay 2020 is seductive, a blend of Casablanca and Leyda fruit, so labeled Aconcagua, with its ripe, expressive aromas of tropical fruit from Casablanca’s parcels, alongside the green apple and citrus notes from Leyda’s cooler vineyards. Barrel aging tempers the high acidity and balances the rich palate, adding vanilla and toasty oak notes to the wine. The ripe palate unfurls upon a great body and concentration of flavors. This complexity is due to two different clones and areas that contribute the aromatic expression and body, creating a crowd-pleasing style, smooth and ripe, remaining in balance.

The TerraNoble “Algarrobo” Pinot Noir 2023 is intense and mineral, with notes of red and sour cherry fruit, herbal and earthy, vibrant acidity presenting a modern take, lean and refreshing. The vineyard is located in the coolest area of Casablanca, and the wine is named for the iconic Algarrobo tree that grows there.

'Boya' Leyda vineyard, Courtesy of Viña Garcés Silva

Leyda is located in the San Antonio Valley, a relatively new wine producing region, with the potential for making very good Pinot Noir. Vineyards are planted on steep slopes, cool and windy conditions allow for slow ripening of the grapes, producing aromatic, fresh and mineral wines.

The Viña Garcés Silva Boya Pinot Noir Leyda Valley 2020 is light and fruity, with fresh acidity, aromas of raspberries and cherries, rose petals and slight rosemary herbal character float on soft tannins, making it an easy drinking wine.

In summary, Joaquín explained how these cold-climate wines can be produced in a tropical latitude, “This chilling effect of the Humboldt Current really affects Chile in the way wineries manage their vineyards, they have to be aware of this very cold climate condition that the Humboldt Current creates. In terms of how it really affects the wine, one of the most interesting ideas here is that this chill effect makes for the sharp acidity of the wines and the low pH, which at 33 degrees latitude, is a difficult achievement for any varietal. The nearer you are to the ocean, the more interesting conditions you will find, particularly for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, that without this amazing Humboldt Current, it wouldn’t be possible to ripen Pinot Noir under these conditions."

Joaquín expanded on the Humboldt Current's influence, "Another thing to remember, there are two personalities linked to the fog created by the Humboldt Current, especially for Chardonnay, the ripe aromas are the result of sun exposure and the green ones are linked to the cooling effect of the fog. For Pinot Noir, the fog is responsible for a silkier and more linear palate, where the fruit is all about cherries, and no expression of any darker or riper fruit."

The coastal wines of Chile share a common thread, through the Humboldt Current effect, yet there are distinctive differences, depending on vineyard location and winemaking techniques. It’s something to remember when you look for a pure incarnation that flatters Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, refreshing and mineral wines that inhabit intense aromas and flavors, with vibrant acidity and good body, overall, a pleasure to drink.

Wines of Chile, https://www.winesofchile.org/

Master The World, https://mtwwines.com/about/

Miguel Torres Cordillera de los Andes Chardonnay 2023, https://www.migueltorres.cl/en/marca/cordillera/#cordillera-chardonnay

Concha Y Toro “Amelia” Pinot Noir 2022, https://conchaytoro.com/en/vinos/amelia-pinot-noir/

Santa Rita Floresta Chardonnay 2021, https://colecciondeorigen.com/en/#tc-accolades

Montes Alpha Chardonnay 2020, https://www.monteswines.com/en/wines/montes-alpha/chardonnay

TerraNoble 'Algarrobo' Pinot Noir 2023, https://terranoble.cl/en/our-wines/algarrobo-en/

Viña Garcés Silva Boya Pinot Noir Leyda Valley 2020, https://www.geovinowines.com/chile/boya/