Mixed response to new Chilean wine areas

Chilean wine producers have expressed concerns over the three new wine areas for Chile which were approved earlier this year. Previously the origin of Chilean wine has been classified from north to south but now wines can also be classified from east to west adding 3 new areas to Chile's wine map - Andes, Costa (coast) and Entre Cordillas (between the mountain ranges). These apparently recognise the influence of the Pacific ocean and the two mountain ranges on the production of grapes and wine.

But several producers aren't convinced, especially regarding the name of the middle part 'Entre cordilleras' which accounts for about 89% of vineyards. Aurelio Montes president of Montes says that while the 3 areas make sense the name doesn't mean anything. And Eduardo Chadwick, 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. Other sceptics point out that it will make Chile even more complicated for most consumers - try explaining 'Maipo entre cordilleras' and, unless you have regulations along the lines of Bordeaux, you still won't know what sort of wine you're going to get from the region.