Santa Rita: Innovative on all fronts

For more than 140 years, Santa Rita has been crafting wines of top quality in the Maipo Valley, Chile, and they continue to build on their reputation every year. With innovation and sustainability at the forefront, they are setting an example of renewal for wineries across the world. 

It is no surprise then that they, for the 11^th year in a row, made it onto the list of The World’s Most Admired Wine Brands earlier in 2022. Conducted by Drinks International, the list highlights the world’s most iconic and innovative producers.

The Santa Rita cellars

The Drinks International report commented: “Chile’s Santa Rita has taken up residency in this list in the past few years, which is perhaps appropriate for a company that boasts centuries of winemaking heritage. Santa Rita’s wines are lent a certain authenticity by their connections with the local landscape and its history.”

Planting with wisdom

After an unfortunate infestation of margarodes – tiny, subterranean insects that attack the roots of the vine – they embarked on a new project called WiSe (Wine and Seeds) to replant thousands of hectares of vines, a project which has been ongoing for eight years now. Part of this project is also to develop both a scientific and holistic approach to producing wines of the best quality through optimal productivity. As they believe in not just ‘planting grapes’ but actually ‘growing wine’, every effort is made to select the best varieties and rootstock, taking into consideration geology, soils, sun exposure, and irrigation.

The WiSe plan allows Santa Rita to ensure the quality and sustainability of their business. It is centred around how they plant their vineyards and why they plant each variety. To date, they have replanted more than 1,345 ha of vineyards.

Santa Rita vineyards in the Maipo Valley of Chile

Adding to their sustainable efforts, they were audited by Ecocert to achieve the title of Certified Sustainable Wine of Chile. The scores achieved in the different areas surpassed the maximum score requisite of the standard for this stage (95%), which is no small achievement!

Measuring sustainability for success

Santa Rita and its subsidiaries were the first wine group to be certified under Chile’s Wine Industry Sustainability Code in 2011. It is the country’s industry standard for measuring winemaking sustainability in vineyards, facilities, and the community, as well as for suppliers, service providers, and workers.

They believe that sustainability practices should be measured by the confluence between being environmentally friendly, socially equitable, and economically viable. For this reason, sustainability is a continuous process which requires them to often adapt to change, rather than a final endpoint at which one can rest.

Inspiring with innovation

Santa Rita is constantly seeking to foster a culture of innovation, which certainly doesn’t stop at the production side of things. They have embarked on a beautiful new Frida Kahlo range with Viña Carmen, sister winery to Santa Rita. The range is new to Bibendum, and we are swooning over the eye-catching designs. The reason for dedicating a range of wines to the artist is that they view her as a historical and influential entity that managed to transform tradition – something they aspire to achieve as well.

They also see themselves as being able to reinvent themselves; something Frida Kahlo often did. The range epitomises passion, sophistication, elegance, and attitude.

Their beautiful setting is no doubt also a source of inspiration. Take a look at the video below to take in the scenery surrounding the winery.