Santiago, Sep. 25 - Chile's wine exports jumped 34% during January-August, compared with the same period a year ago, to $644.7 million in terms of value, the Chilean Agriculture Ministry's Office of Agrarian Studies and Policies, or Odepa, said Tuesday.
Chile is one of the Southern Hemisphere's top wine producers, with much of its output destined for foreign markets because of its small domestic market.
The so-called designation of origin wines, including such well-known varieties as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Carmenere, have a higher added value than bulk wine exports.
In terms of volume, 208.3 million liters of designation of origin wine were exported during the first eight months of the year, a 27% increase from the 163.7 million liters shipped in January-August 2006, according to the Odepa.
The U.K. and the U.S. were the main destinations for Chilean wines, receiving 21% and 14%, respectively, of total exports during the eight-month period. Other major destinations included Brazil, Germany, the Netherlands and Canada, the Odepa said.
In recent years, wine makers have opted to produce higher-quality wines to venture into more markets abroad.
This year, according to Odepa's estimates, designation of origin wine exports will likely top $1 billion.