The Rapel Valley, comprised of two sub-appellations, Cachapoal and Colchagua, begins just 100 km (62 miles) south of Santiago. Cachapoal is the northernmost of the two and is itself further divided from east to west. The majority of the wineries are located in the cool eastern sector between the Pan-American Highway and the Andes Mountains around Requingua and Rengo. On the opposite side of the highway and approaching the Coastal Mountains, the western sector around Peumo receives just enough cool maritime influence to create a warm, but not hot climate ideal for the area’s distinctive, full-bodied, fruit-forward Carmenère. Black grapes predominate in the valley, although there are specialized pockets of hillside Chardonnay as well. Virtually all of the vineyards are drip-irrigated due to the naturally arid conditions. Harvest begins with Chardonnay in late February and ends with Carmenère in April or early May. Less than 100 km from Santiago, Cachapoal provides a glimpse of history transformed. Modern huasos (Chilean cowboys) wear the same wide-brimmed, flat-topped hats (called chupayas) their grandfathers did, although today they participate in rodeos for sport and ride horses for pleasure. Perhaps nowhere else is the success of Chile’s wine business and economy in general more evident than in the size and styles of the powerful 4-wheel drive pick-up trucks they drive today.