This article explores the impact that Chile’s 2010 earthquakes had on the emergence of Carignan on the world stage.
Forbes
“Wine Grape Growers’ Old Vines In Chile Boosted After Devastating Earthquake”
by Cathrine Todd
April 21, 2022
"…According to South American wine expert Amanda Barnes, the red grape variety Carignan was planted in decent quantities after the 1939 earthquake in south-central Chile, as many of the wineries and vineyards were damaged and the grape would ideally help to bolster their industry. Chilean wine regions such as Maule and Bío-Bío in the south-central area of this long skinny country were known for growing the red variety País…needed a blending partner with the highly structured and weighty Carignan grape variety. Unfortunately, the government didn’t realize that Carignan was susceptible to mildew, so the project to plant more Carignan was abandoned.
"Amanda also noted that historically the North was given a lot more investment from the government in Chile than the South, and why today, in the South, there are many elderly men still farming small, dry-farmed old vines of Carignan in Maule, the most southern wine region in the Central Valley, as there was no investment or infrastructure built to help them either with replanting or selling to a big wine company.
“…In the 1990s, a group of wine producers that included a wine journalist realized that low-yielding Carignan from these old vines could over-deliver more than anything they had tasted from the grape’s home in southern France - or any place else. The stereotype of the overbearing bitterness and lack of charm that plagued Carignan was not common among these small family growers living in the ‘very dry and poor’ Secano (translates to ‘rainfed’) area of Maule and, as they have learned better vineyard management, the wines have only increased in quality.”
"…That all changed with the 2010 earthquake that rocked the area, and the group of Carignan enthusiasts decided that the best way they could help the locals was to bring recognition to those remarkable vineyards and help raise the prices for these special vines. They formed an association called VIGNO (an acronym for Vignadores de Carignan) that would also become Chile’s first appellation in a way as it represents a designated area denoting the high quality, dry-farmed, old-vine Carignan vines in the Maule Secano area.
“…Initially, it seems almost impossible for most to see the good that comes out of catastrophic events, but for those few visionaries who are the innovators and passionate evangelists in their particular industries, the opportunities to create a better world among their communities, not letting just a tragedy happen in vain, is crystal clear. And that is precisely what each of these VIGNO members has done for the area of Maule, as well as extending other projects that reach further south…”.
South America Wine Guide
“Guide to Itata Wine Region & Wines”
by Amanda Barnes
May 2, 2022
VIGNO website:
https://www.vigno.org/
South America Wine Guide
Articles by Amanda Barnes:
Amanda Barnes website
“Wine”:
