A Santa Rita, Carmen and Dona Paula Salute

There are times when I need time to digest an event. It may counter the nature of a news blog but a 'good think' (at least every now and then!) never hurt anyone.   

Two weeks ago Santa Rita Estates ran a South American Wine Workshop in London. It was really excellent for a number of reasons.

Chilean wines Santa Rita and Carmen along with Dona Paula from Argentina are brands and wineries owned by the one group. They usually have separate distributors around the world and as such market themselves in isolation from one another. In Ireland Gleeson/Gilbeys distribute Santa Rita while Edward Dillon & Co. handles both Carmen and Dona Paula. They came together to jointly host the London Workshop. This lent a distinct neutral and objective feel to the proceedings.

l-r Richard Bampfield MW, Brian Croser, Silvio Rostagno

As quite a few members of the Irish wine trade and media were invited, and facilitated, to travel over it became very clear to everyone that this was a serious and honest attempt by the brands to engage in a meaningful way with opinion formers and decision makers throughout the trade.

Our hosts set up a series of tastings and discussions overseen by expert panels independently chaired by Tim Atkin MW.
The Expert line-up included:
       Silvio Rostagno CEO Santa Rita Estates
       Australian winemaker Brian Croser (consultant wine maker to Santa Rita Estates)
       Richard Bampfield MW
       Peter Richards MW
       Santa Rita Head winemakers Cecilia Torres and Andres Ilabaca
       Carmen Head Winemaker Sebastian Labbe
       Edgardo del Popolo Head winemaker at Dona Paula in Argentina.


To cap it all off we also had Elena Carratero, Director of Corporate Affairs & Sustainability at Santa Rita Estates, Terry Pennington, Manager UK and Ireland for Santa Rita Estates, Pat Cooney MD Gleeson/Gilbeys and John Pearson MD Edward Dillon & Co.

The gates to the vineyards beckoned and the doors to the wineries had been opened!

Superb tasting venue: Altitude at Millbank Towers - felt we could see all the way to the vineyards!

There were three tastings. These were extensive, imaginative and honest. This latter attribute was possible by including many examples of South American wines not made by Santa Rita Estates wineries.

 l-r Sebastian Labbe, Edgardo del Popolo and Peter Richards MW  (photo Santa Rita Estates)

A 'Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay' tasting was followed by a 'Carmenere and Malbec' tasting. Finally, we were led through eight vintages of the Santa Rita Cabernet Sauvignon flagship Casa Real from Cecilia Torres' first vintage in 1989 to her current release 2010. 

Andres Ilabaca tests a creation

The tastings were brilliant but the context that they were put into was the highlight for me. 
Peter Richards MW opened the proceedings with a discourse titled: Heritage and Heresy: South American Wine Today. I never quite worked out what the Heresy part of the title referred to but he did put South American wines into a world and trade (UK) context. I liked a quote he used from Alberto Antonini, 'When I'm asked what should be the next step in Argentina I always reply: it should be TO SELL LESS MALBEC and MORE ARGENTINA'  

Tim Atkin MW, Andres Ilabaca and Brian Croser (photo Santa Rita Estates)

Brian Croser's contribution was exceptional and titled: The Big Stretch - The Emerging Chilean Fine Wine Industry. In this Croser detailed arguments that support his belief that, 'Arguably the Chilean fine wine future lies in maintaining and refining its traditional Cabernet family wine personality and at the same time diversifying far from it'.
He described Chilean Cabernet as being, 'Nearly always with a glass staining vibrant curtain of colour opening to fresh aromas of spicy, slightly briary, essence of Cabernet fruit, tinged with an exotic edge of mulberry and cassis. The plump ripe fruit sweetness of the middle palate graduates to a plane of definite and savoury tannins. This is serious terroir driven red wine of a style that can’t be produced anywhere else'. Crucially he then examined why this was the case! I recommend that anyone who reads Brian's analysis should then get hold of John Gladstones book, Wine Terroir and Climate Change (Wakefiled Press 2011) In combination they will show how Chile's diverse weather types, soil types and grape stocks can be maximised to produce a Fine Wine Industry.


This quest for quality is what Santa Rita Estates is all about these days. Of course they have their every day brands battling it out in the great Commerce Wars. But aren't even these being made better year on year?

Cecilia Torres Head Winemaker at Santa Rita Estates

It was then brilliant to see how Casa Real has developed over the years. (I have been fortunate to be able to see Cabernet development of this nature by looking at old stocks of Cousino Macul's Antiguas Reservas every now and then - My brothers and I used to be the Irish agents back when...) It was equally excellent to taste with its wine maker, Cecilia Torres, whose very first vintage 1989 was described on the day by Tim Atkin as 'delicious'. Now, that's not bad for a 23 year old! My own favourites were the current (tank sample) 2010 and a very harmonious and well balanced 1995.


Argentina was well handled by Edgardo del Popolo, referred to as Eddie!,who it turns out is really very expert on the soils of Argentine vineyards - a good guy to know. Once again Dona  Paula Malbec works for me very well indeed and let's face it it's also very, very good value.


A quick result from the whites tasting is that Valleys Matter a Lot for Sauvignon Blanc. Check out the cooler sites. As for Chardonnay. I was dead impressed. Mind you I am a great fan of the grape and was very pleased to hear Tim Atkin describe it as being, 'a greater grape than Riesling.' Don't look for simple one style fits all out of Chile/Argentina. We were shown five wines and five very different styles - each one was fascinating - oily waxy all the way to flinted edgy.


Verdict : Hope they run this again and I hope they don't forget the amazing job Julia Kennedy managed to do. No-one was lost along the way - even after the meal at Asheesh Dewan's impressive Benares Restaurant in Berkeley Square (sister restaurant to his Anandes at the Dundrum Town Centre) Asheesh joined us for the meal and even found time to show me his Indian wine House wine. Thanks to all involved. 

Sunset in Fine South American Wines