Amphora

An earthenware vessel used by the ancient Greeks and other Mediterranean people to store and ship wine. An amphora was oval in shape, with two large handles at the top for carrying and a pointed bottom so that the vessel could be pushed into the soft earth where it would remain upright. Amphorae range in size from that of a milk can to a refrigerator.

Spain has had the greatest influence on Chile’s wine industry.

Answer: False.

Arguably, it is not Spain that has had the most influence on Chile's wines, but France. In the mid-1800s, rich Chilean landowners and mining barons showcased their wealth by building wine estates modeled after Bordeaux châteaux (after all, Bordeaux was the wine superpower of the era, especially after the 1855 Classification). The Chileans planted vineyards with imported French grapes, most notably cabernet sauvignon, merlot, and carménère. Whenever possible, Chileans hired French winemakers, who, by the latter part of the century, were easy to lure from their homeland thanks to the deadly insect phylloxera which had begun to sweep its way through France and much of the Old World.

“The first obligation of any wine is to be delicious.”

—Eileen Crane
Founding Winemaker/CEO of Domaine Carneros, Napa Valley, California

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