During the early 19th century, it was one of the most widely cultivated grape varieties in the Médoc and Graves regions of Bordeaux, but its susceptibility to the twin evils of phylloxera and oidium led to growers replacing it with more reliable and better yielding grape varieties such as Merlot.

It was introduced in Chile (where it is also known as Grand Vidure) more than 150 years ago where it thrived largely due to Chile never having had phylloxera as most of its vines are planted on native rootstock.

For a long time it has been mixed with Merlot in the vineyards but now is being identified, vinified and labelled separately. In Chile it is typically blended with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, although it is increasingly being bottled as a single varietal wine. Carmenère wines are deeply coloured and are usually well structured with smooth, well-rounded tannins, and ripe berry fruit flavours. The best examples possess excellent mid term ageing potential.