Chile has seen record sales in recent years, but this has come at a price, as Chilean currency fluctuations have led to a constant squeeze on profits for the wineries. The smaller producers have often failed to survive, while the major brands have seen a significant reduction in return on investment. Where some may have chosen to reduce quality to offset these losses, Chile continues to focus on quality as the key to its success. There are ongoing projects by the market leading producers on identifying new areas, analysing terroir and the matching of variety to soil. This can be seen in the high quality of the well established whites and reds from regions such as Casablanca and Maipo.
| Argentina performed well in the On-Trade as the entry level wines hit price points that other countries struggled to match, while on the international market the focus was on a higher price point, with foreign interest increasing significantly in Argentina over the last 18 months. The wines continue to deliver a much higher quality level than the price currently dictates and the focus on
planting international varieties over the past few years has allowed a growth in production to meet increasing demands.
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