When God was busy creating the earth, and it was time to place the finishing touches on South America, He decided to place the Andes mountain range between Chile and Argentina. The range became the dominant geographical feature of the Argentine and Chilean wine regions, with snowcapped mountains often serving as the backdrop view in the vineyards. Each year as spring approaches, an intricate irrigation system of dams, canals, and channels carries the vital water supplies from the mountains to the wine regions below.

I was going to make my next stop New Zealand after I finished Australia. I debated with myself and practicality won out. I headed for Chile because, for us here in the Lowcountry, the magic connection with New Zealand is based on only one wine, that being Sauvignon Blanc from the Marlborough Region. This is a good product and it does well in the Lowcountry. Prices are competitive, the quality is good from all of the producers, and it does well against the competition from California, Australia and France.