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Santa Rita.

© Audra Ligumsky

I was driven into the parking lot of Santa Rita. There was no one around so I went in search of my tour guide. I walked into a long narrow building that looked like an old stable. Inside the building to my right was a restaurant. The tables and chairs were in a heavy dark wood adorned with fine linens and crystal glasses. There were portraits of previous vineyard owners hanging on the wall between broad picture windows. It was really quite nice. Then I noticed straight ahead through the building was a beautiful courtyard. Wide patios with overstuffed rattan furniture surrounded the courtyard. The setting was beautiful and so tranquil I wanted to pour a glass of wine, take a seat, and stay there all afternoon.

Just then my guide appeared. His name was Alejandro. He is one of the wine makers at Santa Rita. We were at the major vineyard in Buin where they have 700 hectares. It is a surreal feeling to be in the middle of that many vines row upon row all around you. Then it was time to tour the bodega and its vast facilities.

From the crusher machines, to the bottling line and shipping warehouse, I found everything to be very modern, highly organized, and massive. The Santa Rita cellar holds over 40 million liters of wine, and part of the cellar dates back to 1770. The production is around 41 million liters making them one of Chile's largest producers. I had the privilege to sample the Santa Rita Cabernet Reserva ($15.45 Canadian), and the Sauvignon Blanc Reserva. I found both to be very nice products and do recommend the label for middle priced wine.

If you can not find these two labels at your local store the vineyard also produces a less expensive wine that goes under the label of, Santa Rita 120. In the Chilean war for independence the owner gave refuge to 120 of General O'Higgens troops in her Bodega. Being a proud independentist she gave the number "120" to the name of her best selling wine. When the tour ended I went back to the overstuffed rattan chairs and waited for my driver. What a wonderful day.

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