Viña Santa Rita is one of Chile’s leading producers and also one of the Maipo wineries most worth visiting, not only for the impressive portfolio of wines, but for its rich history and heritage. Founded in 1880, Santa Rita winery is one of the oldest and longest-standing in Chile but the estate’s history stretches back much further and was in fact a refuge for 120 independence soldiers in 1814. Today 120 is the name of Santa Rita’s entry-level wine, but production ranges from mid-level Medalla Real to their top ranges including the excellent Floresta line and seductive Casa Real Cabernet, under the expert hand of top Chilean winemaker Sebastián Labbé and his team with grapes from all over Chile. With a beautiful landscaped park and gardens, 19th century mansion now Hotel Casa Real, neo-gothic chapel, Andean museum, Doña Paula Restaurant and vineyard tours for all, save plenty of time for a visit.

 

About Santa Rita winery

Santa Rita, one of Chile’s longest-standing wineries, was set up in 1880 by Don Domingo Fernández Concha on his family estate in the Maipo Valley. Like other Chilean gentleman vineyard owners of the time, he looked to France for inspiration, vine cuttings and winemaking expertise and this French influence can be discerned to this day in wines like the seductive Casa Real Cabernet Sauvignon.

With its engaging history, beautiful 19^th century estate and manor house and broad range of tourism services within easy distance of Santiago, Santa Rita is a popular tourism destination. However, this is not a winery that is stuck in the past. Santa Rita today is a modern, forward-looking winery that is particularly proud of its focus on sustainability and innovation. The winery is part of Grupo Claro and owns Viña Carmen next door and Doña Paula in Argentina. The group has just over 4,000 hectares in Chile and Argentina and, with its wide portfolio of wine brands, has something to suit most tastes and budgets.

 

About Santa Rita’s vineyards

Limarí Valley

Santa Rita has 131 hectares of vineyards in the Limarí Valley, which are planted with Chardonnay and Syrah. The soils comprise alluvial deposits with a layer of clay, some calcium carbonate deposits and a layer of clay with stones. The vineyards are located 28km (17.5 miles) from the Pacific Ocean and the climate has a cooling maritime influence in the form of morning fogs that dissipate around midday, enabling the grapes to ripen slowly.

Casablanca Valley

There are 314 hectares of vineyards in the Casablanca Valley, which have free-draining, alluvial sandy soils. The  location 26km from the Pacific Ocean means there is some coastal influence to cool the Mediterranean climate and the thermal range is some 20˚C. The main varieties here are Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

Leyda Valley, San Antonio

There are 90 hectares of vineyards in this cool, coastal site, where the well-drained, sandy-clay soils are mainly planted with Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir.

Maipo Valley

Santa Rita has 990 hectares of vineyards in Maipo, with alluvial-colluvial stony soils that are planted with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petite Sirah and other red varieties that do well in the semi-arid climate.  The large thermal range (20˚C) favours gradual, even ripening and good phenolic development.

Colchagua Valley

Santa Rita has 1071 hectares in the dry, warm conditions of the Colchagua Valley, which are also heavily planted with red varieties, especially Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah and Carmenère. The soils here are volcanic and can have a clay, clay loam or sandy texture.  There are also some vineyards in the prestigious Apalta sub-region.

Curicó Valley

Santa Rita’s 458 hectares of vineyards of volcanic alluvium soils, planted especially with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Carmenère, Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay. The Curicó Valley has a warm Mediterranean climate, with a 5-month dry season between November and March.

About Santa Rita wines

120 Reserva Especial is Santa Rita’s range of everyday wines in a wide range of white, rosé and red varieties. Secret Reserve is also a fruity, easy-drinking range of wines, all reds apart from Sauvignon Blanc.

The Medalla Real line has become a mainstay of the Santa Rita portfolio since it was launched in 1983 and subsequently leapt to fame in 1987 when the Cabernet Sauvignon won the Paris Wine Olympics. This is a line of well-made wines using Chile’s most classic grape varieties from regions that are well-known for each variety e.g. Chardonnay and Syrah from Limarí, Cabernet Sauvignon from Maipo, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir from Leyda.

Santa Rita’s premium brands include a quartet of powerful red wines. The highly seductive Casa Real, an iconic old-vine Cabernet Sauvignon from Maipo, represents tradition teamed with a modern touch seen in the careful extraction and moderate use of oak.  Triple C  is a big Bordeaux blend of Cabernet Franc (65%), Cabernet Sauvignon (30%) and Carmenère (5%) with 17 months in new oak. Pewën de Apalta is a Carmenère from dry-farmed old vines in the prestigious Apalta sub-region in Colchagua. This is a concentrated, rich red wine with some oak. Bougainville is a big wine made from Petite Sirah with a little Syrah with plenty of body, powerful tannins, high alcohol and aromas of dark fruit and chocolate.

The Floresta line provides quite a contrast to these bigger, more traditional wines; these are elegant and innovative wines from different terroirs and made with different techniques. For instance, there is a white field blend comprising Semillon, Sauvignon Vert, Moscatel, Torontel and Corinto (Chasselas), which have been co-fermented together with their skins and the final wine was neither filtered nor fined, so it is naturally a little cloudy. This label also includes Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Carmenère.

 

About the winemakers

Sebastián Labbé: Ultra Premium winemaker at Santa Rita winery

Sebastián Labbé studied viticulture and oenology at Lincoln University in New Zealand and then gained experience at Tyrrell’s Wines in Australia and at Margrain Vineyard in Martinborough, New Zealand.   Sebastián began working at Viña Carmen in 2005, where he was head winemaker until early 2017, when he was named the winemaker for Viña Santa Rita’s Ultra Premium wines.

 

Óscar Salas: Reserva winemaker at Santa Rita winery

Óscar Salas is the winemaker in charge of Santa Rita’s Reserva wines which includes Medalla Real Reserva, Secret Reserve and 120 Reserva Especial. Óscar started working at Santa Rita in 2016, following six years at Santa Rita’s sister winery Terra Andina and some time at Viña Sutil.

 

Visiting Santa Rita

Santa Rita is located in a beautiful 40-hectare park designed by the French landscape gardener Guillaume Renner. It offers plenty of walks and is home to a manor house (now the Hotel Casa Real), chapel, museum and two food options, so it is worth allowing plenty of time for your visit.

There are six different tour options ranging from Classic (a standard tour and tasting) through to Ultra Premium (a private, bespoke tour and tasting of ultra-premium wines). The Winemaker Experience is a fun option, giving you the chance to learn about each stage in the process and make your own signature wine blend to take home. Alternatives to a classic tour include a picnic, a cycle ride or the entertaining pedal bar – literally a roofed wooden bar on wheels that the group pedals around the grounds, no doubt with a glass or two to keep thirst at bay!

Tours and tastings are available in English, Spanish, and Portuguese, with several start times every day except Mondays.  To find out more about tours, email [email protected] or phone +562 2362 2594.

How to get to Santa Rita

You can reach Santa Rita by car or public transport and full details of these options with maps are available on their website.

Winery restaurants & eating at Santa Rita

There are two options to eat at Santa Rita:

Restaurante Doña Paula

Named in honour of Doña Paula Jaraquemada, who sheltered 120 patriots in the fight for Chile’s independence over two hundred years ago. The Doña Paula restaurant is located in a mansion that is a classic example of colonial architecture in a pretty garden setting. 

Open from Tuesday to Sunday, from 1pm to 4pm. Prior reservations are required. Reservations: (+56 2) 2 362 2590 or [email protected]

La Panadería

This bistro café offers more casual options like coffee, juice or light gourmet meals for people enjoying a visit to Santa Rita.

Open every day except Mondays, from 9am to 6pm

 

Wine Shop at Santa Rita

The shop offers wines from the Santa Rita group of wineries, as well as a range of handicrafts and gifts.

Open every day except Mondays, from 10am to 6pm. Telephone: (+56 2) 2 362 2501. Direct sales: 800 367 482.

Museum Andino at Santa Rita

The Museo Andino is a large, modern building that houses a collection of around 3,000 archaeological and ethnographic artefacts created by the Pre-Columbian peoples who inhabited these lands, as well as works from the mixed cultures of Chile and Latin America. The collection was assembled by Ricardo Claro and María Luisa Vial de Claro, who in 2006 donated the items to the Fundación Claro Vial, making them available to the community in a museum that is open to all, with the support of the Cultural Donations Law.

Open every day except Mondays, from 10:30 am to 6 pm. Telephone: (+56 2) 2 362 2524. Free admission, no reservation required.

 

Hotel Casa Real

Centrally situated on the Santa Rita Estate, Hotel Casa Real is the former summer home of the winery’s founder and it was restored and converted into a hotel in the mid-1990s.

The classical, late 19th century style of the house has been preserved. The 16 rooms (including a superbly-appointed suite) all combine elegant classical furnishings and features with modern facilities and each has a view of either the park or inner courtyard. The public rooms – dining room, billiards room and so on also combine old world elegance with modern comforts. Alongside the hotel stands a Neo-Gothic chapel built in 1880 – like the house, it was designed by German architect Theodor Burchard. Guests can also enjoy the swimming pools and gym, as well as the beautiful gardens.

You can book full board or bed and breakfast online through their website.

 

Wine tasting video

Winemaker Óscar Salas introduces 120 Cabernet Sauvignon and his pairing advice!