Choapa Province


Choapa Province is one of the provinces making up the Coquimbo Region of Chile. It has an area of 10,079.8 km² and a population of 81,681. The capital of the province is the town of Illapel. The current governor is Gisella Mateluna Gambo.
The province is divided into four communes administered by four municipalities:
According to the 2002 census by the National Statistics Institute, the province spans an area of and had a population of 81,681 inhabitants, giving it a population density of. Between the 1992 and 2002 censuses, the population grew by 4.6%.

Choapa Valley wine region

The Choapa Valley is located 400 km north of Santiago, in the southern part of the Region of Coquimbo, and is named after the province of “Choapa”.
This area is within the narrowest part of Chile, where the Andes meet the Coastal range. The small valley consists of two sectors, Illapel and Salamanca. There are no wineries in any of these sectors, but vines planted on the rocky, foothill soils produce small quantities of high quality Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes with high acidity and low pH, which is increasing the interest for the area among many wine producers.
Only one brand of wine, De Martino Syrah, currently holds the D.O. of “Choapa Valley”.

Grape distribution by varietal