The grape is a non-traditional crop in the country that has faced various adversities.
Ecuadorian wine is harvesting palates in the country in a way similar to that tasting this alcoholic drink: with patience and the necessary pauses to discover its flavors.
At least three companies produce wine for internal marketing purposes: Chaupi Estancia Winery, Dos Hemisferios and Viña del Guayacán.
Chaupi Estancia Winery is the oldest, having started more than 30 years ago as an enterprise that sought to know if the grape strains or varieties that were planted were used to make wine. In the beginning it was an “experimental space”, he says. Sandra Tasiguano, administrator of this vineyard located in the Yaruquí parish, northeast of Quito.
At that time Ecuador did not produce table grapes to sell, much less wine. The fruit used for eating is larger and meatier than the other, which is smaller and juicier.
Tasiguano says that the first crops occupied two hectares and that in 1991, 30 years ago, they had the first bottling with 1,000 units.
Sales in the market started nine years later, in 2000. “Currently we focus on doing it (selling) directly from the winery, because three years ago there was a great demand for visitors to the ranch to learn about winemaking” , explains why they are no longer in other points of sale.
Now the business allocates four hectares to produce four types of wines. A year they sell 4,000 bottles, a “limited” figure to think about exporting, says Tasiguano.
On the other hand, Dos Hemisphere does export a part of its production, “maybe 3%”, says its president Robert Wright, who comments that the priority is to consolidate in the national market and then grow internationally.
The vineyard is located in the El Morro parish, in the Playas canton, in Guayas, and in a span of 20 years it has gone from being an agricultural company to an agro-industrial one.
In 1999 he began to plant table grapes on 3 hectares and after obtaining good harvests, in 2004 he ventured into the planting of grape vines for wine. Four years later, he was finally able to proclaim his first “label” or type of wine ready to market. There were 1,200 bottles.
“The process of making wine is extensive depending on the type of wine you want to make. Aging wines, which spend time in the barrel, sometimes have up to 24 months in the barrel. Those are our top wines ”, highlights Wright. However, he notes that the company offers products for different consumers, such as the wines at Tetra Pak that are cheaper.
Currently Dos Hemisferios has 38 hectares planted, produces 27 types of wine and in 2020 sold 420,000 bottles.
Viña del Guayacán has been in the market for less time than the other players, and like Dos Hemisferios, its business started with table grapes and then went on to wine, with several trials and errors involved.
This farm located in Zapotillo, Loja province, began to plant the first crop in 2013 and the second in 2014. The idea, says its general manager, José Roberto Burneo, It was to satisfy part of the internal demand with a quality product that reflects “the flavor of the Ecuadorian land.”
In May 2019, the marketing of 3,000 bottles of wine that resulted from the 2017 harvest began. However, the 2020 pandemic stopped the sales plan that was being carried out in person and specifically in Loja. Then, a strategy was set up on digital platforms that, according to Burneo, has turned out better than expected, since the vineyard has become known outside the province and has attracted various clients, including corporate ones.
“It is definitely an industry that still has a lot to mature, it is a business that does not pay the salaries of the entire team,” says the businessman.
The president of the Ecuadorian Grape Producers Association (Apruec), Anthony Escudero, joins this opinion and explains that the grape in general is a non-traditional crop in the country, which has faced “many adversities”, such as lack of skilled work and specialized machinery, until its production stabilizes.
He maintains that compared to countries with a wine-making tradition, “we are children who do not know how to walk.” And that is why it asks the Government to support the sector with measures in favor of imports, promotion and investment.
Tours to live the ‘wine experience’
Two wine-producing companies in the country offer tours in their facilities so that visitors learn about the process of making the drink and about the brand.
Chaupi Estancia Winery and Dos Hemisferios have been organizing these tours for six and one year, respectively.
The first vineyard, located in Yaruquí (Pichincha), has two packages: Full tour and Tasting only. Both include a tour of the place and, at the end, a tasting of the wines produced there, accompanied by a small plate of bread and cheeses.
The first, which is with a guide who gives the explanations, costs $ 25; the second, without a guide, $ 20. “This modality has allowed us to open the doors to share winemaking experiences with tourists from all over the world”, says the administrator of the place, Sandra Tasiguano.
Dos Hemisferios, which is in El Morro (Guayas), offers three options: Vineyard Tour & premium tasting, Vineyard Tour & ultra premium tasting and Vineyard Tour & live cooking.
The prices are, in their order, $ 134.40, $ 179.20, and $ 336, according to the company’s website.
There it is indicated that the three offer a tour of the facilities together with a guide, tasting of four types of wine and food.
The president, Robert Wright, highlights that the tours have been well received, despite the fact that they began in the second half of 2020, the year of the pandemic. He says that since they are outdoors, “the experience of visiting a vineyard attracts a lot of people.”
In nations with a longer winemaking tradition, such as France, Spain and Argentina, these types of activities also help promote tourism in a geographic area. (I)
Some important data
280 hectares in Ecuador are used for the production of grapes in general (table and wine).
40 hectares are used to grow wine grapes in Ecuador and 240 for table grapes.
800,000 hectares in France are for grape production in general; It is the country that produces the most wines in the world.
215,000 hectares in Argentina are for grape production in general; It is the country that produces the most wines in Latin America.
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