Flaherty Wines

I just want to let everyone know that we are all fine here at the Flaherty homestead. We had quite a scare, as the quake went on and on for a full three minutes. That’s long enough to wake up, wait for it to pass (as they usually do), realize that it isn’t passing, get up, grab the kids, find someplace safe from falling debris, and still wait for it to pass.

The Aconcagua Valley was not hit nearly as hard as other areas to the south. Even Santiago, just one valley over, had much more structural damage than our immediate area. We had very minor, superficial damage to our house and none at all to our cellar. We only stack our barrels two high, so they moved a bit but did not topple. Our friends at Viña San Esteban report that they did not suffer any damage either (and our wine stored there in barrels and bottles is also fine). The Von Siebenthals are also safe, with very little damage to their winery. Most of their wines would be in barrels and small tanks, which are generally much more stable than than larger tanks. We were all very fortunate in this time of crisis, and we are so thankful that everyone is fine.

Our big worry right  now is for our friends and colleagues in Cauquenes. Land lines and cellular towers are down, so we still have not been able to talk to anyone there. The epicenter was 63 kilometers southwest of the town, about 50 kilometers from our vineyard. The vineyard will be fine, of course—there is an old adobe building on the property that might have collapsed, and the water tanks might have fallen, but we really don’t have any important structures on the property that could be compromised. We are just hoping and praying that everyone there is safe.