Cachapoal Valley
Cachapoal Valley belongs to the Rapel valley vine-growing zone and it is included in the Central Valley of Chile; it is located south of Santiago in the Libertador Bernardo O’Higgins region whose capital is the city of Rancagua.
The Cachapoal Valley belongs to the Rapel valley vine-growing zone and it is included in the Central Valley of Chile viticultural region; it is located just south of the Maipo Valley. It belongs to the Libertador Bernardo O’Higgins region, the 6th administrative region whose capital is the city of Rancagua. Its boundaries are, North the Santiago metropolitan region at 33° 50’ latitude South, and South the Maule region at 34° 45’ latitude south, to the west the Pacific Ocean and to the east the Andes mountains. This Rapel valley viticultural zone is divided into the Cachapoal Valley with the Rancagua, Mostazal, Requínoa, Rengo and Peumo areas and the south colindant Colchagua Valley with the areas of San Fernando, Chimbarongo, Nancagua, Santa Cruz, Palmilla, Peralillo and Apalta.
Denomination of Origin: Cachapoal
Region: Central Valley
Sub-Region: Rapel Zone: Cachapoal
Complementary Areas: Entre-Cordilleras, Andes
Soils
The western slope of the Coastal Range has well-developed soils that evolved from granitic rocks and have clay content in depth. In the sector neighbouring the coast the soils derive from high marine terraces, they are reddish-brown in colour and their relief is flat or softly sloping. In the western slopes of the Coastal Range, soils originate from granitic rocks and have high clay content in depth. Alluvial soils of moderate development are found in the zone of the Central Valley, set between the Coastal Range and the Andes. Most of the irrigated agricultural lands of the Rapel viticultural region have this type of soil. In the precordillera and the sectors of stronger relief of the Andes there are coarse-grained soils derived from volcanic accumulation. The Rapel River and its main affluents, the Cachapoal and Tinguiririca Rivers, constitute the hydrographic system of the Rapel valley. Both rivers meet in the sector called La Junta and feed the Rapel reservoir.
Climate
The Rapel valley region is characterised by a temperate climate with large differences between the coast and its inland valleys. The orographic conditions of the region do not allow sea winds to enter the sunken basin; this causes a wide thermal range, differentiating it from the coast where sea fogs are present during practically the whole year. The difference between the coast and the sunken basin is significant, and shows in the humidity, thermal oscillation and high mean rainfall at some times of the year.