Wine Communism Volcanoes a Story of CHI Book

Drive beyond the dusty provincial towns and the Chilean landscape is carpeted with ¼ million acres of grapes that ripen perfectly in bright sunlight, warm days, and cool evenings. Labor, land, and grape prices are low so these wineries can make high quality wines at a fraction of the cost of those located in California, Australia, or Europe. Consequently you can buy excellent Chilean wines at a low cost.

"Wine, Communism, and Volcanoes" is a travelogue and memoir of the three months that the author, Walker Elliott Rowe, spent working the harvest at VIA Wines in San Rafael, Chile. Mr. Rowe takes the reader inside an industrial-sized winery and explains to the reader how wine is made on a large scale. Beyond the winery, the author weaves a narrative of the Chilean people and culture introducing the reader to many people both inside and outside the wine business.

The towering Andes Mountains are not the only item looming over the horizon in Chile. This progressive country, where the sentiment for socialism is strong, is still dealing with the ghosts of the former military dictator. Mr. Rowe explains the irony that the dictator left behind a strong system of capitalism that leaves most people working yet many of them poor.