On Wednesday 1st February, wild fires began ravaging through the wine regions of Itata and Bio Bio in Chile. Official reports show at least 300 hectares of vineyards lost, and over 6,800 producers were impacted. Several producers have reported the devastating losses of their entire vineyards and wineries. All of the vineyards and wine growers affected are small, independent growers, often with very old vines (in some cases over 150 years old).
Satellite imaging by NASA, shown on their FIRMS fire mapping website, revealed that there were over 280 wild fires burning in Chile at the peak, with the large concentration being in the southern regions of Ñuble (Itata) and Bio Bio. Estimates suggest fires have spread over 450,000 hectares of land, and continued burning for over two weeks. As a result, over 3,000 people have been evacuated from their homes and 24 people have died. The fires spread further south into Araucania too, and into parts of Maule to the north.
Wild fires damaging vineyards and producers in Itata and Bio Bio
The worst of the fires was in Itata, where over 290 hectares of vineyards were lost. As we witnessed with the 2017 fires in the same region, these wild fires can potentially be financially devastating for these small producer and growers who often live with their home, winery and vineyard all on the same site. Many of the vineyards in Itata and Bio Bio are less than two hectares in size.
Renowned pet nat producer in Itata Jorge Cotal, for example, lost everything in the fires — his family home, winery and vineyard. Other producers reporting significant losses include Viña Altos del Valle, Leoncio Wines, Vinos Mingaco, and Leo Erazo with his family projects A los Viñateros Bravos and Rogue Vine.
Read below to see how to help producers already impacted by the fires.
Guarilihue was particularly hard hit with fires concentrated in this important wine region where there are notable old vines planted. One of the greatest threats to these vineyards, and also the communities, in southern Chile are the widespread and poorly planned industrial forests, which act as tinderboxes for wild fires. Industrial forests have long been subsidised by the government but are rarely well managed and can create a significant threat to the communities there, most especially with the increasingly warm, drought conditions there.
“The main problem is the industrial forestry here,” explains Itata and Bio Bio producer Juan Jose Ledesma of Viñas Ineditas, “there are often no or insufficient fire breaks between plantations. It would be a simple solution to have 300 to 500 metre fire breaks subsidised [by the government]”.
We will keep monitoring the Bio Bio and Itata fires and situation as it develops and report here with updates.
Please get in touch if you are a Chilean grower impacted, and please see the links before if you would like to help support the growers of southern Chile in this difficult time:
How to help during the Itata fires
Help Jorge Cotal who lost his vineyards, winery and home in the fires — GoFundMe link
Donate to Viña Altos del Valle who lost their winery in the fires: Bank number 51500010031, Rut 15.492.266-0
Donate to Vinos Mingaco who lost their vineyards and fruit tress in the fires: Daniela De Pablo Mendoza, Banco de Chile 00-225-27413-02. Rut 16.212.7764
You can donate to A los Viñateros Bravos to help them replant their vineyard destroyed by the fires, on their GoFundMe page.
You can donate to Miguel Molina and his family who produce TresC on their GoFundMe page.
If you are in Chile, you can support a charity drive collecting food and water for firefighters and impacted families in Coelemu — contact Catalina Cura at [email protected]
Bio Bio’-based sommelier Sebastian Ortega Yanez is also collecting items for helping the affected families in the south, you can contact him at [email protected]
Borra wine bar in Guarilihue is also fundraising for local producers, please contact [email protected]
If you are local, you can also donate items the brigades need (food, water, medical supplies) at the different centres near the fires. Find out where on this link.
Chile´s firefighters are all volunteers, you can help support them here: https://www.ayudabomberos.cl/#row-socio
If you are in Santiago on 11th February, there is a charity event being held at the Novotel hotel to raise money for the small growers of Itata.
This article will be updated with more information and helping links over the coming days
Support Itata and Bio Bio through buying wine!
We have lost 90% of our old vineyards. There is no better moral or economic support, no greater show of care, than by opening a bottle this weekend from some producer in Guarilihue. This will be a motivation for all of those who have been affected and we can continue working, continue to dream, and continue to look after this patrimony which are our old vines, and the tradition to cultivate this land in this slow landscape which is sadly disappearing year by year in front of our eyes.”
Leo Erazo, A los Vinateros Bravos
You can also support the producers of Itata and Bio Bio by buying their wines. Support those producers affected, or those who are impacting change. Alice L´Estrange, for example, is giving 10% of her wine sales in the next two weeks to directly help those impacted by the fires.
Tres C Wines
(CL) Online website
A los Viñateros Bravos
(UK) Caves de Pyrene
(UK) Raw Wine
(US) The Source
(US) Massey Wines
Rogue Vine
(CL) Edwards Fine Wine
(CL) Santiago Wine Club
(UK) Indigo Wine
(US) Brazos Wines
Jorge Cotal
Donate HERE
Viña Altos del Valle
(CL) Online website
Leoncio Wines
(US) Caravan Wine Shop
(US) Jose Pastor Selections
Vinos Mingaco
(CL) Borra
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