He said;
“The earthquake was really big – at least 8.2 in Concepcion. It lasted about 3 minutes... you can’t stand on your feet at all... you can’t believe what it’s like during an earthquake. It’s really scary. 400 died but with those temblores and the tsunami... Could have easily been much worse. You can’t get hold of your family, your friends, all your loved ones and you feel really desperate. The only thing that was working was messaging - eventually found out everyone was OK.
People are still really SCARED right now, really scared. We’ve had lots of replicas (aftershocks) recently. The last one was 6.9 – a big tremor normally. But you have to remember that the scale is exponential, so an 8 is 30 times stronger than a 7. When the last tremor happened I was at a meeting on the 21st floor – the top floor – of the World Trade Centre in Santiago. within, like, 30 seconds the whole room was empty and everyone left the building straight away. That’s how scared people are. And the shocks will continue for about 3 months now.
We lost 2 million litres of wine at Cono Sur, wine industry of Chile lost 100 million litres. $250 million loss to the industry. But very soon after the quake we were able to start the 2010 harvest and it should be a good one.
2010 is a special year for the Chilean people; we celebrate 200 years of independence.
People are really optimistic and they’re working hard to get through the disruption. You know, but, Thank God, we’re carrying on. Life goes on, you know.
Check-in, customs and immigration – everything you normally find at an airport – is now all done outside in the car park under tents.
You know, Chileans are really organised people, and we just carry on. You don’t believe when you get on the plane after checking-in in a tent that your bags will arrive at the other end, but they do. It’s really amazing. It’s all working. The one word I would really emphasise is the SOLIDARITY that Chileans feel to each other. People are prepared and no-one is depressed. We are reaching out and helping each other. It’s real solidarity. – Chilean people ... There are only 16 million Chileans ... have raised over 100 MILLION US DOLLARS.... to help each other.
You know, that’s the thing. For a couple of days we were shocked, but then it’s like, ‘no more crying. We get on and keep going now’.
I think if I had to use two words to sum up the feeling in Chile right now, it’s SOLIDARITY and POSITIVITY. The same in the wine trade. We want to send this message out to all the people we work with. We discovered after this that Chile has a lot of friends around the world who want to help and we feel really positive about the future. We want to re-build and get going again, and we will."
All Adolfo and the others want us to do is keep drinking Chilean wines. Great, isn't it; to be able to help people just by drinking their wines. Their lovely wines!
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Friday, 26 March 2010
Thursday, 18 March 2010
In the 1970's whenever a new customer came into my Railway Arch at Windsor they would always ask if I had any Beaujolais.
It upset me that Beaujolais back then was the all-conquering dominant wine. And it abused that dominance. More vineyards were planted in former cow pastures where fruit rarely ripened and had to be excessively chaptalised. So what you got in your basic Beaujolais was, to a large extent, fermented sugar! With no taste, just a burning mouth.
Beaujolais is now paying the price for this abuse. This week's trip report from Helen McEvoy tells of the gloom pervading that once most joyous of regions; (remember 'Clochmerle'?). There are massive uprootings. The place may even be going out of business.
And yet, perversely (my middle name) I now can't wait to get my hands on a couple of cases of Helen's latest discoveries in the 'Cru' villages of Beaujolais.
Basically, because in the Beauj heartland; villages like Fleurie, Julienas, Morgon and St Amour make a style of wine made nowhere else in the world. And never likely to be.
My lady wife loves these wines even more than I do. Many's the night she'll send me off down our cellar with the words "a red..but for God's sake not one of your monsters... I just want something quiet and gentle!" All very Freudian if you ask me, but the fact remains we go very fast through the good Cru Beaujolais. The most charming, food-enhancing relaxing of wines. And we've had none for at least a year! Helen wouldn't buy any last year. But her report on the 2009 Beaujolais makes my mouth water at the imminent prospect of Great Beauj ..and happy wife.
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Monday, 15 March 2010
It went OK did the first tasting at our new shop near Borough Market in a Victorian Railway arch
Bit of feedback on the speakers, slide-show a bit clunky but plenty enthusiasm from the hundred or so Laithwaites customers.
Brand new customers, customers of over 20 years standing! (We found seats for them). Most just leant on the 'World's Longest Tasting Table', sipped and listened as Henry and I walked them through; Jean-Marc's new 2009 Sauvignon, his La Voute which might have been named for this place, Henry's Presbytere and Wilson Gunn, Mark's Vent de Folie and a few others. We put in a last minute Chilean by way of showing solidarity. And it was an explosive new Sauvignon.
Jean-Marc couldn't come. Was in California. But it'll be hard to keep him away next time if he's in London.
Next tasting is the 24th March. Though it's fully booked, do put your name down ... I'll keep doing the tastings as long as you keep coming!
Visit laithwaites.co.uk
Brand new customers, customers of over 20 years standing! (We found seats for them). Most just leant on the 'World's Longest Tasting Table', sipped and listened as Henry and I walked them through; Jean-Marc's new 2009 Sauvignon, his La Voute which might have been named for this place, Henry's Presbytere and Wilson Gunn, Mark's Vent de Folie and a few others. We put in a last minute Chilean by way of showing solidarity. And it was an explosive new Sauvignon.
Jean-Marc couldn't come. Was in California. But it'll be hard to keep him away next time if he's in London.
Next tasting is the 24th March. Though it's fully booked, do put your name down ... I'll keep doing the tastings as long as you keep coming!
Visit laithwaites.co.uk
Monday, 8 March 2010
The responses to what we did for Chile on Friday have been mixed.
Friday's blog and email prompted two things; a lot customers switching their orders to Chilean wine - good, and considerable upset about me just doing it as a sales gimmick - not good.
I can see our gesture could be misinterpreted. But if you are told that a friend's house (and in this case winery) is now just a pile of rubble what do you do? Ignore it?
No, you try to help. Both Becca and I had the same idea. We decided to send something to our customers.
The big thing our Chilean friends wanted was for us not to cancel orders. (Something we were looking at doing). We have instead upped our buying and will some more, if we can. We are committed to our Chilean producers.
To help a bit more, we decided to give 5% of all sales to the Chilean Embassy Earthquake appeal. So far that's over £10,000. This seemed the most obvious way to help. Many of our customers have been very positive about this and have changed the wine they're buying this month. I recognise, in hindsight, that our positioning could have been mis-interpreted, but there was only good intention behind it.
It's not something I broadcast but Barbara and I helped set up the Institute of Hazard and Risk at Durham University. There is a laboratory there, bearing our name which assesses landslides and other risks in a variety of places. It was, I know looking at the Maule Valley south of Santiago. Please accept my apologies for any offence caused, it was unintentional.
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I can see our gesture could be misinterpreted. But if you are told that a friend's house (and in this case winery) is now just a pile of rubble what do you do? Ignore it?
No, you try to help. Both Becca and I had the same idea. We decided to send something to our customers.
The big thing our Chilean friends wanted was for us not to cancel orders. (Something we were looking at doing). We have instead upped our buying and will some more, if we can. We are committed to our Chilean producers.
To help a bit more, we decided to give 5% of all sales to the Chilean Embassy Earthquake appeal. So far that's over £10,000. This seemed the most obvious way to help. Many of our customers have been very positive about this and have changed the wine they're buying this month. I recognise, in hindsight, that our positioning could have been mis-interpreted, but there was only good intention behind it.
It's not something I broadcast but Barbara and I helped set up the Institute of Hazard and Risk at Durham University. There is a laboratory there, bearing our name which assesses landslides and other risks in a variety of places. It was, I know looking at the Maule Valley south of Santiago. Please accept my apologies for any offence caused, it was unintentional.
Visit laithwaites.co.uk
Friday, 5 March 2010
We're donating to the earthquake fund for Chile
Our Chilean wine producers have been hit by the earthquake. The damage is not too severe; most wineries are modern and earthquake-proofed. But so much precious wine has been lost.
However the thing producers Viña Tarapaca, Don Cayetano and Adolfo Hurtado are most concerned about is that their trade might drop away with customers hanging back. Indeed, I just cancelled my trip later this month. I mean, I don't want to get in the way of vital work.
And we thought it sensible - at first - to put back our orders.
But then Becca Reeves our Chile buyer, after spending nights trying to get through to her Chilean friends, made us see sense.
We must help and raise their spirits, she said, by putting in our yearly orders NOW - "to be delivered when possible". They all assure her that will be maximum six months.
Right now, for every order of Chilean wines order we'll donate 5% of sales to the Chilean Government's relief fund.
Do order if you can. Chileans are lovely people. They are tough, hard-working and resourceful. They will come through - with a little help from their friends!
Becca has sent an email to all our customers – here’s what she said:
My name is Becca Reeves and I am Laithwaites Chilean wine buyer. I’m writing to you today in reaction to the devastating effects of last Saturday’s earthquake in Chile.
The earthquake struck in the heart of Chile’s winemaking country – an area I know well from many buying trips there.
Like, for example, Luis Felipe Edwards (or Don Cayetano as you may know him better). I managed to speak to him yesterday on a crackly line to find out if he and his family are OK. They are. But their house was destroyed and some of their great wine has disappeared into the ground.
Luis Felipe was remarkably upbeat and at pains to assure me that the harvest (due to start right now in Chile) would still go ahead. He said his vineyards workers and cellar hands were determined to keep working despite the chaos around them.
I was astonished and said so to Luis Felipe. He told me that the best way to rebuild Chile right now is to carry on as normal and keep people in work. Luis Felipe was concerned that people would want to give Chile ‘some space’, hold off ordering and, as a result, the country would lose income it now desperately needs.
So, this month I am asking you to support our winemakers in Chile - their families and the families of their employees. Chilean wines these days are of impeccable quality and the range is staggering – the most varied in the world (OK, I am bit biased!) – there’s plenty to choose from to suit your palate and budget.
In return, Laithwaites will donate 5% of sales of all Chilean wine sold during March to the Chilean Embassy’s Earthquake Appeal Fund.
I hope that when you think about buying your wine this month you will think of our friends in Chile and help raise as much as we can for them – they really need your support right now.
Thanks for reading
Becca
Visit laithwaites.co.uk
However the thing producers Viña Tarapaca, Don Cayetano and Adolfo Hurtado are most concerned about is that their trade might drop away with customers hanging back. Indeed, I just cancelled my trip later this month. I mean, I don't want to get in the way of vital work.
And we thought it sensible - at first - to put back our orders.
But then Becca Reeves our Chile buyer, after spending nights trying to get through to her Chilean friends, made us see sense.
We must help and raise their spirits, she said, by putting in our yearly orders NOW - "to be delivered when possible". They all assure her that will be maximum six months.
Right now, for every order of Chilean wines order we'll donate 5% of sales to the Chilean Government's relief fund.
Do order if you can. Chileans are lovely people. They are tough, hard-working and resourceful. They will come through - with a little help from their friends!
Becca has sent an email to all our customers – here’s what she said:
My name is Becca Reeves and I am Laithwaites Chilean wine buyer. I’m writing to you today in reaction to the devastating effects of last Saturday’s earthquake in Chile.
The earthquake struck in the heart of Chile’s winemaking country – an area I know well from many buying trips there.
Like, for example, Luis Felipe Edwards (or Don Cayetano as you may know him better). I managed to speak to him yesterday on a crackly line to find out if he and his family are OK. They are. But their house was destroyed and some of their great wine has disappeared into the ground.
Luis Felipe was remarkably upbeat and at pains to assure me that the harvest (due to start right now in Chile) would still go ahead. He said his vineyards workers and cellar hands were determined to keep working despite the chaos around them.
I was astonished and said so to Luis Felipe. He told me that the best way to rebuild Chile right now is to carry on as normal and keep people in work. Luis Felipe was concerned that people would want to give Chile ‘some space’, hold off ordering and, as a result, the country would lose income it now desperately needs.
So, this month I am asking you to support our winemakers in Chile - their families and the families of their employees. Chilean wines these days are of impeccable quality and the range is staggering – the most varied in the world (OK, I am bit biased!) – there’s plenty to choose from to suit your palate and budget.
In return, Laithwaites will donate 5% of sales of all Chilean wine sold during March to the Chilean Embassy’s Earthquake Appeal Fund.
I hope that when you think about buying your wine this month you will think of our friends in Chile and help raise as much as we can for them – they really need your support right now.
Thanks for reading
Becca
Visit laithwaites.co.uk
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