Santa Rita Estates achieves sustainability recertification

By James Lawrence

Published: 14 January, 2022

Viña Santa Rita and its associated wineries in Chile have obtained their sixth accreditation from the Certified Sustainable Wine of Chile Code, under the rules of the oversight body.

Created in 2011 by an R&D consortium formed by Wines of Chile and the most prestigious universities of the country, the sustainability code requires every member to submit to a regular audit, aimed at monitoring their performance in the areas of viticulture, packaging, social projects and oenotourism.

Its main goal was to “promote the benefits of a sustainable grape and high quality wine production, together with motivating grape producers and wine companies to improve their practices through the compliance of the requisites of the standard”.

In the case of Santa Rita Estates, different practices of vineyard management, installations, energy efficiency projects, waste management, the relation with suppliers and communications, among other topics, were all reviewed during the inspection.

Santa Rita Estates was the first among Chile’s large wine groups to adopt and certify under the Code in 2011, maintaining and strengthening its commitment with sustainable growth of this business and the country through time.

According to a representative from the company, the scores achieved in the different areas surpassed the maximum score requisite of the standard for this stage (95%). “An important point of this sixth accreditation process, is the inauguration of the purple area of Sustainable Oenotourism, with the audit of Santa Rita’s tourism offering, which comprises the Hotel Casa Real, Doña Paula Restaurant, Wine Shop and Tourism House,” they said.

Elena Carretero, director of corporate affairs & sustainability at Santa Rita Estates, commented: “These results show the collaborative work of every area of the company, of the day to day management, keeping records, working in an organized way and introducing the sustainability factor in every action we take. At Santa Rita Estates, our business strategy is built on the foundations of sustainable development, which is enhanced by this new milestone.”

Diego Valenzuela, tourism manager of Viña Santa Rita, added: “With this we demonstrate that our integral offer, with the wine always at the center and incorporating all the cultural and historic patrimony we have, allows us to offer a unique experience to our visitors and the community. Santa Rita is a leader in oenotourism in Chile, and this accreditation shows the commitment with sustainability as the guiding principle of our operations.”

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