You may have seen my feature on Lautaro Wines in Friday’s Journal, written to mark fairtrade fortnight: I had just had the very real pleasure of meeting Raul Navarrete the General Manager of Sagrada Familia, the Chilean co-op that make the wine.
I have just received an email from Zenen Santana-Delgrado from Traidcraft, their UK partners.
He writes: “It seems the powerful earthquake that had hit Chile yesterday has affected quite badly the region where the Lautaro Wines farmers & staff live. There is a lot of destruction in the city of Curico; and the villages in the surrounding areas.”
I have asked Zene to let me know as soon as he has more news. In the meantime, please spare a thought for the many other Chilean grape farmers affected by the earthquake – and grape growers in Madeira whose livelihood has been threatened by the recent storms.
