The Harvest in Chile: A Two-Sided Vintage

BY JOAQUÍN HIDALGO | MAY 31, 2023

In many ways, 2023 was an exception to the norm in Chile. Whereas the La Niña phenomenon generally has a cooling, drying effect across the globe, the Metropolitan region in the Central Valley saw the highest temperatures of the past 74 years. Most vineyards in Chile experienced these high temperatures, with the exception of those on the coast. Two thousand twenty-three “was a very different beast” for these producers, who reported a cool year. The growing season resulted in two very different scenarios depending on the vineyard’s proximity to the Pacific. Overall volume was down: the estimated output was 995 million liters, 20% less than in 2022, according to the Office of Agrarian Studies and Policies (ODEPA) report in March 2023.

Yet, the images that will linger in our minds aren’t of the weather, although they’re directly connected. Instead, the indelible memories are those of the summer forest fires, which destroyed 430,000 hectares of pristine woodland. In the regions of Maule (only the southernmost part), Ñuble and Biobío, this calamity also ravaged vineyards. Some areas saw an almost total loss, as was true of Purén (Araucanía). When I visited in March, I witnessed the vestiges of a fire from a few weeks before still smoldering. At a tasting in Itata some producers claimed they lost some or all of their grapes. Smoke may also have affected what wasn’t actually burned up, which in some regions will be impossible to eradicate. As one producer from Itata told me with a hint of resignation, “For us, smoke is beginning to become a feature of the terroir.”

Given all these unpredictable factors, 2023 took some producers by surprise, while others were able to ride the heat waves skillfully. Undoubtedly, the key to getting the vintage right was finalizing the decision-making well in advance. Winemaker Marco Puyó joked, “What I’ve learned from previous hot years is that the moment I think the grape needs a little more time is when it actually needs to be harvested.”

Hot, dry conditions led to dehydration in the grapes. Because grapes were smaller, yields in the Central Valley and Secano dry farming region were lower. Production was higher on the coast and in the deep south.  

The Weather in the Central Valley

The reported weather was similar for most of Chile, from Aconcagua to Biobío – an area encompassing four-fifths of the land under vine, 100,000 hectares out of 130,000. The 2022 winter had enough rain and snow to saturate the soils and maintain a cool, frost-less spring that ensured a good setting of the bunches. The challenges began with the hot November, in which temperatures rose to peaks sustained for the rest of the season.  

February saw record temperatures in several areas on the 26th and 27th when the grapes were already quite ripe. In San Felipe, in the Aconcagua Andes region, the thermometer rose to 37.2°C in the middle of 20 days of sustained heat; in Chépica, in Maule, it reached 38.2°C amid heat waves that lasted 18 days overall. These are just two extreme examples of unusual conditions applied across the central valleys. According to data supplied by Viña Concha y Toro, accumulated degree days were 1,967, similar to 2020 (1,970) and 2017 (1,928), making it one of the hottest years in the 2014-2023 period. The high temperatures were responsible for the drop in yields. Dr. Álvaro Peña, a Professor of Viticulture and Oenology and partner at Garage Wine Co, explains: “One of the possible reasons is the high temperatures before veraison when the berries sweat more because they develop more stoma. That might have affected the eventual size of the grapes, resulting in lighter bunches. So, there’ll be the same number of bunches and grapes, only they are lighter.” This happened even though there was sufficient water for irrigation. 

Heat was one of the major challenges from Maipo to Talca, but the situation was more drastic in the Secano Interior dry farming area south of Maule. Sustained irrigation can mitigate against the effects of high temperatures – and producers implemented it – but that isn't an option when one is dry farming. Vineyards on the plains performed better than sites on the slopes, an inversion of the usual qualitative equation. Producers say that the Carignan was resilient, one of the virtues of the variety, but other varieties suffered.

In Colchagua, the year was defined by high temperatures. The vineyards in Cerro Puquillay, planted by Luis Felipe Edwards, were in good condition by early March thanks to consistent watering, a common response to this year’s difficult conditions.  

With foliage ratios tilted heavily toward leaves over fruit, ripening occurred more quickly. “In Maipo, the harvest occurred two weeks earlier than usual, and in Maule, it was between three and four weeks, depending on the area,” Gonzalo Carrasco told me at Barón Philippe de Rothschild, which has vineyards in both regions. All the producers I spoke with reported the same story, depending on the different ripening points of the varieties in question. The overall perception is that the harvest saw excellent health. Still, it was hurried, short and logistically challenging. Grapes ripened almost simultaneously, except on the coast, and it was a puzzle to get fermentation done in a month and a half when usually it takes three, putting plenty of pressure on the teams in the cellars.   

The grapes will reflect the dry, hot season. Producers say that 2023 is similar to 2017, which also featured heat waves and forest fires. But in contrast to that year, they were better prepared this time, thanks to the lessons learned. This is especially true for decisions taken in the winery.  

With better-judged extraction and shorter maceration, the work with the reds ought to bear results. “The wines are beginning to offer a clear taste pretty soon, even before we racked them, and if you harvested early, you’ll have obtained excellent fruit,” said Benjamín Leiva at Viña Montgrass. “I was surprised by the Cabernets from Alto Maipo, which turned out to be very good so long as we were able to harvest early, at the end of February, which is unusual in Chile,” said Ricardo Baettig at Morandé. Other producers are saying things along similar lines. They might have had to sacrifice a little in terms of depth of palate, but instead, the focus is on more refined fruitiness, moving away from sweet, jammy, alcoholic styles, although there’ll undoubtedly be plenty of those as well.