Above: Curacao Winery
By the Caribbean Journal staff
Wine from the Caribbean?
It will soon be reality as, for the first time ever, Curacao has its own winery.
The Caribbean’s newest vineyard has more than 2,000 plants on two acres of land, part of a project that will eventually expand to 25 acres.
The wine will be harvested from the island’s soil and be available for bottling and selling next year, according to the Visscher family, which runs the vineyard.
Ilse and Roelof Visscher come from a strong winemaking tradition in the Netherlands.
While tropical climates are not typically conducive to grape growing, the vineyard says that the large amount of sunshine is “promising” for the number of harvests per year.
“Research shows that the soil on Curacao is very fertile and suitable for growing crops,” the company says.
There are precedents for wine-making in tropical climates, where a number of strategies must be employed in the absence of a cold season; perhaps the world’s most famous tropical vineyard is Tahiti’s Vin de Tahiti rose wine.
According to the company, production will include, rose, white, red and other wines.
The winery is located at the Landhuis Hato near the Hato International Airport in Curacao.