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Seventy percent of Chile's wine production comes from the Central Valley near the epicenter of the 8.8-magnitude earthquake that hit the country Feb. 27. As 15-foot-high stainless steel storage tanks toppled and oak barrels rolled off their racks, ruby red rivers of carmenere, merlot and cabernet sauvignon flooded the area. Some 125 million liters of wine, valued at $250 million, was lost. This represents 12.5 percent of the country's total production.
Spanish immigrants planted vineyards as early as 1550 in the region of the current capital, Santiago. After Chile achieved formal independence from Spain in 1818, hordes of settlers arrived from Europe bringing stocks of noble vines, including cabernet sauvignon, malbec, carmenere, chardonnay, semillon and riesling. This led to the foundation of Chile's modern wine industry in the second half of the 19th century. The real wine boom, however, began in 1990 when Chile overthrew military ruler Augusto Pinochet. Between 1995 and 2002, national vineyard acreage doubled and Chilean wines found a market niche in Europe, the United States and Asia.
Today, Chile is the world's 11th largest wine producer and the fourth largest exporter to the U.S. after Italy, France and Australia.
The earthquake that rocked Chile caused substantial damage in wine-producing areas including the Cachapoal, Colchagu, Curico and Maule valleys. A look at the toll the quake had on the country and the numbers:
125 million liters of wine.
$250 million: Value of wine.
12.5 is the percentage of country's total production.
I spoke last week with Alfredo Bartholomaus, a native Chilean who pioneered the export of his country's wines to North America and who is generally referred to as an ambassador for Chilean wines. He was en route to Santiago to evaluate the wine situation on the ground. He assured me that the industry is recovering already. Ports are open and shipping is back on schedule.
Wines of Chile is a promotional group representing 90 Chilean wineries. A spokesman said the group does not foresee a shortage of their wines in the U.S. nor any significant price increases in the near future. There was not much damage to the vines. The white grape harvest, which normally begins in March, is underway in spite of difficulties, including the lack of electricity to pump water to the drip irrigation system and operate crushers and presses for the grapes arriving in the winery, the loss of housing for the vineyard employees and roads and bridges that are impassable. It is fortunate that the red grape harvest will only begin at the end of March, to continue through mid-May. By then, repairs to more stainless steel tanks, irrigation pipes and cellar infrastructures should be completed.
According to Mr. Bartholomaus, the wineries are bouncing back and the 2010 vintage will be a testament to what he called the Chilean winemakers' indomitable spirit.
what was lost
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