Three new Chilean wine areas which were approved earlier this year are causing some concern among some of the country’s leading wine producers.

The three new areas, Andes, Costa and Entre Cordillas, are meant to recognise the influence of the Pacific Ocean and the two mountain ranges on the production of grapes and wine, but several wine producers are not convinced.

The main cause of concern is the “Entre cordillerasQ which accounts for about 89 per cent of vineyards. The president of Montes says that while the three areas make sense, the name doesn’t mean anything, while the president of Errazuriz says the development is helpful in differentiating the mid-valley from coastal plantings, but has doubts that it will be useful for other valleys such as Maipo.

Previously the origin of Chilean wine has been classified from north to south but now wines can also be classified from east to west and many sceptics of the country’s new system point out that it will just make Chilean wine even more complicated for most consumers.