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The Casablanca Valley, one of Chile's most famous wine regions, is affected by the exodus of many wineries. Reasons are lack of water, too many vineyards and rabbits nibbling grapes and vines. Producers are going to Leyda, Limarí and Colchagua, unless they move to remote Patagonia.
Eugenio Ponce, export director of Undurraga, says: "The drought is affecting all areas north of Santiago. In the next 30 years, vineyards in Chile will be mainly in the south, and we will see many more wines from the southern regions." Eduardo Jordán of Miguel Torres agrees: "Our future is in the south. The north is too risky." Philippe Rolet of Los Vascos, the Chilean estate of Domaines Barons de Lafite Rothschild, speaks of "big water problems. It is very dry. In the past two years we have moved everything from Casablanca to Colchagua". The CEO of Lapostolle, Charles de Bournet, regrets this development because he, like his colleagues, highly appreciates the quality of the wines from Casablanca. But the costs for wine production in the region are now "shocking". In addition, the rabbit plague has got out of control. "First they eat the grapes, then they move onto the trunks of the vines because it's so hot and dry there and they can't find anything else."
Marcelo Garcia of Terra Noble, who plans to stay in Casablanca, on the other hand, says: "It's easy to sell and move away; it's much harder to stay in the region and invest in it to preserve it for future generations." He has witnessed a similar development before: "A few years ago, everyone was in Limarí, then they left after six or seven years without an optimal water supply. Now the same thing is happening in Casablanca. If the government does not limit the number of hectares that can be planted in a given region, vintners everywhere will have the same problems," he says. "It's a matter of regulating the area under cultivation."
(al / source: drinksbusiness; photo: 123rf)
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