As an informed customer, nothing makes me happier than to walk down the aisle with Chilean wines in my local wine store. The prices of these bottles are so reasonable that I just have to sing living La Vida Loca  as I dance my way up to the cash register with an armful of them. (I can only assume that the stares from other customers must mean that they have yet to try these wines themselves.) But now even wine cheapskates have more than a few reasons to try the wines of this ribbon-like South American country.

Reason #1: Lovely Weather they're having. The middle third of Chile has an ideal climate for growing grapes: In the Central Valley, for example, there is an average of 150 days a year of sun, with little rainfall. Nine out of ten years are similar to a top year for the Médoc in Bordeaux, France. This means that you get gloriously ripe wines year after year after year. You need to whip out a vintage chart in the Chilean wine aisle.

Reason #2: Chile has a Well-Aged Wine Culture. The country has made wine since Jesuit missionaries from Spain first planted vines there in the 1540s. In other words, they know what they're doing and you should relax when choosing a bottle. The oldest wineries still operating today were founded in the mid-1800s by families whose fortune came from gold and silver mining. Some of the most impressive wines come from Concha y Toro, Chiles largest winery. Try the 2006 Casillero del Diablo Merlot, a fleshy, medium-bodied wine with aromas of dried herbals, black plums and spices.

Reason #3: You Can Taste History: You're drinking history when you drink Chilean wine. Just before that nasty little vine louse phylloxera devastated the vineyards of France in the late 1800s, vine cuttings from Bordeaux were planted in Chile Formidable geographic barriers meant that pest never made it to Chile: To the north is the Atacame Desert, the driest stretch of land in the world (it hasn't rained there in four years), and to the south, Patagonia with its Antarctic fields of ice. The Andes rise up in the east and the Pacific Ocean lies to the west. So as you sip a glass of Chilean merlot, you're drinking wine that has its roots in the nineteenth century.

Reason #4: A Grape to Call One's Own: Until recently, Chile didn't have a grape to call its own as does Argentina (malbec), California (zinfandel), Australia (shiraz) and South Africa (pinotage). But in 1994, scientists discovered that what Chilean winemakers had thought was merlot was actually a grape called carmenère (carmen-yair). Carmenère takes longer to ripen than merlot and therefore was often harvested too early before it was identified, which resulted in the wine having a green, vegetal character. Now that winemakers know the grapes they have planted, they're producing wine from carmenère with greater ripeness and deeper colour. Try the 2006 San Pedro 1865 single vineyard Carmenere, a dark, voluptuous and generous wine with nuances of dark fruit and smoke.

Reason #5: Going Uphill: Traditionally, most vineyards were planted on the flat valley, where the soils were rich and well-irrigated with meltwater running down from the Andes. Some of the vineyards were even flooded just before harvest to bloat the grapes and increase the amount of juice for wine. The trade-off was a bigger crop and lower prices but the wine wasn't as tasty. Now winemakers are planting vines on hillsides where they produce much more layered and delicious wine.

Reason #6: Hitting the Right Spots: Regions in the country now specialize in particular grapes. The Maipo Valley, a 300-mile cleft between the Andes and the coastal mountains, has developed an international reputation for its reds and is home to the country's best known wineries such as Santa Rita and Cousino Macul. Try the Cousino-Macul Antiguas Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon. This winery was described by the British wine writer Hugh Johnson as "The First Growth of Chile."

Reason #7: Popular with the Jet Set. Like Australia, Chile is in the southern hemisphere and its seasons are the opposite of those in North America and Europe. Therefore, winemakers from the northern hemisphere can act as consultants or own their own wineries in Chile and their international influence has helped raise winemaking standards. Miguel Torres, of Catalonia, Spain, who opened a winery in 1978, makes the fabulous 2006 Santa Digna Cabernet Miguel Torres, a juicy red with bright red fruit. This wine spent six months in American oak. Pair with barbecue and grilled meats.

Reason #8: More Range at the High End. I like the fact that Chile now offers more choices at the high end for when someone else is paying. One of my favorites is Concha y Toro Don Melchor Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, Sideral, Altair single vineyard. This is a Cabernet, Merlot and Cabernet Franc  blend from one of Chile's best-known producers, Vina San Pedro’s joint venture with Chateau Dassault of Bordeaux fame.  This elegant red is a perfect example of the marriage of savoir faire from Bordeaux and Chilean terrior. Also try the 2006 Anakena Ona, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Carmenere. This powerful wine with aromas of dark fruit and chocolate is a delicious example of Chile's more premium wines.

There are so many reasons to try Chilean wines, but most of all, drink them because they're delicious. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to cha cha over to my neighborhood wine shop.