After a slow start, Chile’s grape volumes start to ramp up now
The Chilean grape season is starting to see higher volumes this week. The season was off to a slow start this year, due to a combination of factors. Christian Corssen of Compañia Frutera Santa Maria says: “The Chilean grape industry has been switching over to a lot of the newer proprietary varieties, which are mostly later varieties. So generally, the Chilean season is switching to a later start overall because of this. In addition, the Northern growing region saw a slight delay at the start of this season, and the industry is challenged by labor issues due to Covid. All of these have combined to make it so that there is about 40% less volume harvested today in comparison with this time last season.”
First volumes of Chilean grapes to arrive in US by week 52
The Chilean grape harvest started at the beginning of December and while the season is off to a slow start, the overall outlook for the season projects a 10-15% increase in volume.
First volumes to arrive to the US in week 52
The grape harvest started in the northern part of Chile. Christian Corssen of Compañía Frutera Santa Maria (CFSM) shares: “The early volumes are lower than we expected. The northern growing regions are generally somewhat erratic, and the weather during the growing season slowed down the maturation of the grapes. So, while the season started on time, the start of the season was slower than expected.”