As most of us slept peacefully last Saturday night (February 27th, 2010), one of the worst earthquakes in history, reaching a magnitude of 8.8, toppled much of the central region of Chile. Proving to be devastating to property and life, the quake could not have come at a worse time for winemakers. As a leader in the global winemaking community, Chile was about to begin the annual harvest. Historically, Chile is prone to quakes, and since the 1960’s structures have been subject to strict construction requirements to minimize earthquake damage. Last week’s earthquake was the largest in since 1960, when the country suffered a 9.5 magnitude quake. The majority of the damage centered in the central to southern part of Chile and in the second largest city, Concepcion. Northern areas suffered significant damage as well. With little or no electrical power at numerous facilities, difficulties with travel and processing grapes, the bottling and shipping of this year’s crop will be far from easy. While the primary rescue focus is concentrating on displaced families and reinforcing damaged structures, we wish to express our sadness to our Chilean customers and friends during this difficult time. Winemaking is a leading industry in Chile, and ultimately a rather critical component to the area’s long term economic recovery.
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