World Malbec Day
Updates From Our Organic Winery Partners
In this difficult and turbulent time for everyone, it has never been more important to pull together as family, and our organic winery families across the globe are no exception. We checked in with our partners from the hardest hit by Covid-19 in Italy and Spain, to the vineyards of South America where harvest was mostly complete before the madness. All report they are doing well, and their entire staffs remain healthy and safe.
As the world has suddenly become more sedentary, several of our options have become more popular as well, including organic, “sugar free”, “dry farmed” and keto-friendly wines. Our wineries are working to keep the organic wine flowing as the world continues to enjoy a glass with family meals, and to toast together as they celebrate the small victories along the way.
Following is a recap from our winery families who encourage you as we do to Stay Home. Stay Safe. Slow the Spread.
Cantina Pizzolato, Treviso, Italy
1) What is the current status of your wine production?
In this very tough moment, respecting all the restrictions of our government, La Cantina Pizzolato activities continue. We are dealing with some delays in dry material deliveries, but our wine production and bottling are still proceeding.
The privilege of being able to continue working while many companies in other sectors had to close down, is giving us the opportunity to be useful to our community and at the same time help many customers, especially our trade-customers and not being a weight on an already dramatic economic situation. Our goal is of course, to continue to work hard to guarantee our customers the best quality of service, especially in this particular period, taking all necessary measures to deal with this emergency and protect our customers, our staff and anyone who cooperates with our network.
2) How has the Covid-19 situation affected the winery?
Despite this difficult global situation due to Covid-19, we always take care of our organic vineyards: pruning has been completed and now that spring has just began, plants wake up from the winter and we are witnessing the usual vine-weeping.
In the winery, both the production and the logistic warehouse are regularly working, following all the new safety rules imposed by the national authorities. The incoming and outgoing goods must be able to continue to circulate both inside and outside from Italy, our employee in warehouse in charge of loadings has been equipped with all the necessary sanitary precautions.
The Sales & Marketing dept. is doing home working to limit the contact among employees. Moreover, as many planned exhibitions such as Prowein and Vinitaly have been cancelled, we have decided to organize “Virtual Fairs” to present our customers the new launches and the updates from the winery even if we are not actually meeting them at the fairs. So to provide a high quality customer care service, we have adapted our communication in this particular moment, implementing the technological assistance and improving our Video conference tool, in order to actually TALK to our customers, giving them every support they may need, even if we cannot reach them physically.
3) What message would you like to share with our distributor and retail partners?
This tough situation is putting all of us to a hard test.
We very much appreciate what you have done so far and what you will do to deal with this global, uncertain period. We perfectly know it’s not easy at all, but we are here to lend our support.
This period is showing us that people can still make the difference: Staying at home to limit the contagion and protecting the most fragile people; reinventing our jobs and lives from home; implementing food and wine delivery services; innovating new ways of doing business; becoming more digital and voiding distances.
This is clearly a big challenge, but being a TEAM even from far away has never been more important as in this moment. While we look forward to being physically together again, DON’T STOP FIGHTING, if we work together we can be a GREAT TEAM, no matter the distance.
Maison Raymond, Bordeaux France
1) What is the current status of your wine production?
In the vineyard, we are fortunate to not have been affected by frost since it snowed yesterday (March 30th) and we are getting negative degree temperatures in the mornings. The team in the vineyard each work on different rows. The production is almost running at a normal pace, we are just having difficulties with the materials such as the delivery of the bottles, corks, the printer is opening again but for fewer hours.
2) How has the Covid-19 situation affected the winery?
The elders and people with fragile health are not coming to the winery anymore. The personnel in the office is working from home as much as possible and some come once a week to send samples, for containers, but we only go there if needed.
3) What message would you like to share with our distributor and retail partners?
I think there will be a before and an after. In this fast life we have, we need to go back to the basics, the essentials, and that is wide to say….less production and natural production: we have been consuming this planet on both ends and we have to unfortunately come to this crisis to make changes. One half a century ago, one single orange would cover your total needs of vitamin A. Today you would need to eat 21 to get this precious vitamin. An apple in 1950 is equivalent to 100 apples today….
Organic, Biodyamic farming is not a trend, and we need to look and ask our elders how they did it in the past. Stay safe, take care of yourself and your loved ones and support farmers and independent growers!
Vina Koyle, Alto Colchagua Valley, Santiago, Chile
1) What is the current status of your wine production?
This year has been very different from all the previous ones as it was one of our driest year of our history, and at the same time, one of our hottest years in recorded history. Both of these factors cause us to have a really early harvest, almost 1 month earlier than a normal year. For us, we finished harvest on March 20th, when it usually ends in late April. Now we are focused 100% on the fermentation process of the wines.
2) How has the Covid-19 situation affected the winery?
For now, our production hasn’t been affected by the Corona virus. This is because we were able to harvest our entire vineyard before quarantine was declared in certain sectors of Chile. What we have been doing with the staff is to create teams of fewer members and create work shifts, in order to keep the interaction of people inside the winery to a minimum and not spread the virus. Regarding shipments, like all the vineyards, there has been a lower demand from our clients given that most of our markets are in quarantine. However, we do not have any impediment to continue shipping our wines and all ports are open.
3) What message would you like to share with our distributor and retail partners?
These are difficult times in which we live, so it is important to follow the recommendations of health professionals, stay calm and stay at home to avoid spreading the virus. If it is possible for you and your employees to work from home, please do it, it´s the only way to avoid infections and to flatten the curve. It is in these moments of reflection and learning that we must create innovative ideas to keep going forward. Together we will get out of this crisis and we can go back to our normal lives as soon as possible.
Granza, Rueda-Ribera Del Duero, Spain
1) What is the current status of your wine production?
We keep carrying out the necessary tasks for the elaboration of our wines and to be able to supply our clients with all their orders. We have implemented a contingency plan following the recommendations of the Spanish Government and international authorities, protecting our staff and allowing them carry out their work with complete health security.
2) How has the Covid-19 situation affected the winery?
It is a global impact that affects the entire world economy and we are no strangers to it. In our case the priority is and always will be to protect people, for this reason the teams that are working to carry out the necessary work in the vineyard and winery have all the necessary protection means and respect safety distances. The rest of the departments work from home. We are carrying out proper social actions both with our staff and with the authorities to help alleviate this situation.
3) What message would you like to share with our distributor and retail partners?
The essential message is be responsible and stay at home, it is the most important thing at the moment. The next message is that we will continue to redouble our effort and dedication. We must be more united than ever because together we can overcome this difficult situation.
Bodegas Iranzo, Utiel-Requena, Valencia, Spain
1) What is the current status of your wine production?
Production level is lower due to the current situation (all Spanish customers are shut down at the moment), but there is always work to do in the winery, wine to prepare, to make sure all deposits, pumps and installations are OK, constant analysis of the wines of the deposits and tasting and supervision of the wine in the barrels to make sure ageing is going well.
2) How has the Covid-19 situation affected the winery?
Orders have come down a bit, the salesperson for national is at home and two employees from the winery too (by their own decision to stay with their families). We have implemented strict measurements against the virus, like wearing protection equipment, keeping physical distance between us, everyday disinfection of the common areas everybody touches (doors, electrical switches, certain parts of machines, etc.) and we avoid being at the office, so all office work is done from home now. Besides that, we are taking advantage of the situation to work more on the vineyards, which allows us to take care of them even more than usual, the work at the vineyards has to be at least the same, as plants have the cycles that Mother Nature imposes.
3) What message would you like to share with our distributor and retail partners?
I want to send a message of peace of mind and confidence that we are working hard to keep everything running and the quality of our wines will remain the same.
Vina Koyle, Alto Colchagua Valley, Santiago, Chile
1) What is the current status of your wine production?
This year has been very different from all the previous ones as it was one of our driest year of our history, and at the same time, one of our hottest years in recorded history. Both of these factors cause us to have a really early harvest, almost 1 month earlier than a normal year. For us, we finished harvest on March 20th, when it usually ends in late April. Now we are focused 100% on the fermentation process of the wines.
2) How has the Covid-19 situation affected the winery?
For now, our production hasn’t been affected by the Corona virus. This is because we were able to harvest our entire vineyard before quarantine was declared in certain sectors of Chile. What we have been doing with the staff is to create teams of fewer members and create work shifts, in order to keep the interaction of people inside the winery to a minimum and not spread the virus. Regarding shipments, like all the vineyards, there has been a lower demand from our clients given that most of our markets are in quarantine. However, we do not have any impediment to continue shipping our wines and all ports are open.
3) What message would you like to share with our distributor and retail partners?
These are difficult times in which we live, so it is important to follow the recommendations of health professionals, stay calm and stay at home to avoid spreading the virus. If it is possible for you and your employees to work from home, please do it, it´s the only way to avoid infections and to flatten the curve. It is in these moments of reflection and learning that we must create innovative ideas to keep going forward. Together we will get out of this crisis and we can go back to our normal lives as soon as possible.
Inkarri, Lujon de Cujo, Mendoza, Argentina
1) What is the current status of your wine production?
We just finished the harvest all the grapes we had this year. White wines have almost finished the fermentation and reds are in the middle of it. Everything is going smoothly so far.
It was an incredibly early harvest (we finished 2-3 weeks earlier than normal) with a reduced span, so we had to rush the harvest, often working at night. It has been a warm and dry vintage, not a big volume, but excellent concentration and structure. Starting early allowed us to still have good balance and to work with minimal intervention as we like to do.
2) How has the Covid-19 situation affected the winery?
We are working with reduced personnel, but we decided to guarantee the continuity of production and shipping, always keeping in mind that safety comes first. All our processes might get a bit slower (public laboratory for analysis and forwarder have slow down too), but we are continuing in the best possible way
3) What message would you like to share with our distributor and retail partners?
Take care, help the ones that need it, support independent producers. We’ll keep working to deliver the best wine we can.
Domaine Gioulis, Klimenti, Greece
1) What is the current status of your wine production?
Our winery’s production is not affected by the moment.
2) How has the Covid-19 situation affected the winery?
Vineyard operations such as pruning, cannot be postponed, but we continue to work within a safe working environment. Our winery and tasting room is closed to stop contact with external visitors. Winery production and operations continue to work by taking all the safety measures.
Wine sales in Greece depend a lot on tourism. Accordingly, our sales are down considerably as restaurants, hotels and bars are closed. Wine orders continue to be taken and shipped however many of our suppliers are either closed or are working with minimal personnel, therefore, shipping delays may occur.
3) What message would you like to share with our distributor and retail partners?
The health and the welfare are priorities for our family, winery and customers. We want to be optimistic beyond the difficulties and we hope to be able to meet again and share with you our passion for wine very soon! Be secure and take good care of yourselves.
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