Itata Valley is a wine region in the southern end of Chile`s long, thin wine producing zone. This historical, cool-climate region is dominated by plantings of Carignan, Muscat of Alexandria and Pais. The first vines are said to have arrived in the Itata Valley the 1550s, potentially making the region one of the first to be planted with vines in Chile. The high-altitude Coastal Range, which brings moderated weather conditions to many vineyards further north, peters out as it reaches the port city of Concepcion, leaving Itata relatively exposed. This means that weather patterns moving from the Pacific Ocean to the Andes are unhindered, resulting in higher rainfall and cloud cover. This cool climate is complemented by alluvial soils made up of sandy and clay loam, deposited in the valley over time by the Itata and Nuble rivers.