Wine making in Colombia
Colombia is located in the tropics, with high humidity in most areas and no obvious seasonal changes. However, the high-altitude topographical features of the northwest provide suitable growing conditions for wine grapes. The Valle del Cauca and Boyacá areas are home to numerous vineyards and wineries. They sit around 2,500 meters above sea level with dry climate and soil conditions, making them an ideal location for viticulture and winemaking. Rain fall annually is approx. 830mm, close to that in Bordeaux.
Flexitanks provide opportunities for natural wine
Earlier this year, we received a request from a customer in Cali (the capital city of the Cauca Valley), who needed to ship a batch of raw wine to China, and wanted to use Hillebrand’s bulk wine flexitank for the transportation. This being their first time bulk shipping natural wine.
Natural wine, also sometimes known as raw wine, refers to wine that is crafted with little to no intervention. The grapes are grown without pesticides or herbicides, organically or biodynamically and are then picked by hand. Wine is crafted using traditional techniques and fermentation occurs naturally. It’s quite simply, fermented grape juice.
Hillebrand’s wine specific flexitank (VinBulk) was created to specifically transport that product. It has been designed with a patented technology barrier and separate tri-laminate layers to:
Protect against oxidation
Defend against taint compounds
Prevent water vapor transmission
All Hillebrand flexitanks are 100% recyclable too and have been independently verified as a greener transport solution.
On 19th April, Hillebrand technicians made an on-site visit to their winery in Cali, to provide hands-on guidance and technical support for the loading of the flexitank. Once the wine was successfully pumped into the flexitank, the container door was closed and sealed.
The journey from Colombia to China
Departing from Cali, it was transported by land 127 kilometers to Buenaventura - the port of departure, where the goods were successfully loaded and shipped. It is expected that wine will arrive in China in June, with Hillebrand’s technical team ready on-site to assist with the unloading of the flexitank.
The name of the port of departure, Buenaventura, literally translates as good luck and luck in Chinese. We hope that this Colombian wine will bring good luck to the domestic wine consumer market!
Hillebrand is here to help
As logistics experts specializing in bulk wine transportation, we are committed to protecting the quality of your wine. We offer:
Wine specific Flexitanks, designed and produced in collaboration with wine experts
Loading and unloading services and technical support
Risk management and control
End-to-end transportation by sea, road and rail
Value-added services such as customs, insurance, warehousing, and equipment recycling
