The Chilean earthquake and its aftermath

We are all aware of the huge 8.8 magnitude earthquake that hit Chile a few weeks ago and the devastation that it wrought. This monster quake not only effected every facet of Chilean life, but it also took a devastating toll on one of Chile’s most important exports, wine. This year’s harvest has the prospects of being one of the finest in Chile’s long winemaking history and wineries were preparing to make a host of premium wines. Many wineries north of the epicenter also report sustaining significant damage. It is not only the wineries but the infrastructure, mainly pipe lines that supply water for winemaking and irrigation, have been damaged. Many parts of the wine districts are without water and the electricity needed to run the wine making machinery
We know that the rebuilding will begin almost immediately and the one thing that they could use in abundance is money, not charity. In our attempt to help the Chilean people and their wine industry, we would like to introduce you to some of the Chilean wines that are in our area right now. Chilean wines have always been excellent, both in quality and value, so in buying them, you will not only be getting a good wine but also helping a nation and an industry recover.
We were preparing a column on Chilean wine for a future issue and have sampled a few and would like to call them to your attention. All of the wineries listed have received some damage from the earthquake.
Concha y Toro is one of Chile’s most famous producers of wine and they too incured damage from the quake. To assess the extent of the damage, they closed all of their operations and have already begun repairs. Where conditions permit, they have started the harvest and should be back in full production very shortly. On dealers’ shelves now is their excellent and quite famous Casillero del Diablo (Cellar of the Devil) Cabernet Sauvignon ($9.99). This is a wine that exemplifies the Chilean style of wine making by presenting the aromas of ripe cherries, black currant and dark plums, balanced with a touch of vanilla and oak. Another outstanding wine is their 2006 Winemakers Lot ($10.99) which is a blend of cabernet sauvignon, the local red grape carmenere and syrah.
Veramonte is also one of Chile’s better wine producers. Their 2006 Pinot Noir is a return to the wines of old; big, dark, full flavored and an absolute dream in the taste department. Veramonte was just about to pick their Sauvignon Blanc grapes when the quake struck. Now, with no electricity to run the winemaking machinery, the grapes wait on the vine. There is however, a very nice Veramonte 2009 Sauvignon Blanc ($8.99) currently available and is decidedly a wine of merit.
Calina is located in one of the wine districts most devastated area and has suffered extensive damage. One of their currently available wines is their 2008 Carmenere Reserva ($7.99), a grape variety that has found great success in Chile. The wine has a deep red color and exhibits the flavors and aromas of ripe berries, chocolate, pepper and oak. In the white wine department they make a dynamite chardonnay. The Calina 2008 Chardonnay Reserva ($7.99) is very reminiscent of the French chardonnays of years gone by as is the Calina 2008 Merlot Reserva ($7.99).
Space considerations dictates that we stop the long winded descriptions and just give the names of other wine that we have sampled from Chile which we have found above average and well worth your interest. The Louis Filepe Edwards Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Carmenere Reserva are excellent. There is also the Casa Lapostolle 2007 Chardonnay and 2008 Carmenere and the Natura organically grown 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon.
We will cover these wines and more, in detail at a later date but you can get a really great wine and help out a suffering industry by turning some of your attention to the notable wines of Chile