Indigo unveils Chile fundraising campaign

By James Lawrence

Published: 27 September, 2023

Indigo Wine has pledged to donate £1 for each bottle sold from their portfolio of Chilean wines, raising funds for producers affected by natural disasters in Itata and Maule.

Taking place during the three months leading up to Christmas, Indigo will gift all money raised to the go-fund-me campaigns mounted by two of their producers in Chile – Leo Erazo (Rogue Vine) and Jose-Luis and Daniela Gómez Bastias (Viña González Bastias) – who have both been severely affected by the recent fires and flooding across the country.

According to Indigo “Rogue Vine was founded by friends Leo Erazo and Justin Decker, to restore and bring recognition to the old bush vines on steep granitic hills that form part of the viticultural heritage of southern Chile. When wildfires swept through Itata in February, 90% of the vineyards which they farm were burned, many of the vines they lost were over 100 years old.”

Meanwhile Viña González Bastias cultivates four hectares of very old vine Pais, Torontel, Moscatel and Semillon on the banks of the River Maule. On 21 August 150mm of rain fell in 24 hours, double the previous record of 84mm in 1963, swelling the river to record levels, engulfing their vineyards and destroying their winery and home.

“There are some vineyards that won’t recover – the trunks have burnt literally to charcoal. I had a parcel of Moscatel planted in the 1870s that was next to the eucalyptus, and that will not recover. My guess is that from the 90% of production that we have lost, half of the vines will recover and half will need to be replanted,” said Erazo.

Ben Henshaw, owner of Indigo Wine, commented: “We're hearing about the effects of climate change on the environment, wildlife and people increasingly frequently. In the last six months two incidents have hit particularly close to home as they impacted two wineries that we work with in Chile.”

“In July Daniela and José Luis from Gonzalez Bastias travelled to London, the team and our customers were taken by their energy and commitment to their heritage vines. Fast-forward three months and floods in Maule destroyed their family home and winery, and inundated their vineyards. We felt we had to do something to help them to rebuild their lives and replant their vineyards.”

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