One of the jewels in our range, Santa Alicia has become a firm favourite with our loyal customers since we opened our doors in November of last year. And believe me, we couldn’t hide our excitement after learning we’d be stocking wine from Chilean Winery of the Year for 2007, as awarded by the International Wine and Spirit Competition. The first trophy was awarded for the Gran Reserva Merlot 2003 – named as best Chilean wine of the competition.

Santa Alicia vineyards are located in the Pirque region in the heart of Maipo Valley, where some of the best ‘terroir’ for Chilean wines is found. These vineyards are irrigated by a very small amount of pure, crystal water coming from the melting snow of the Andes Mountains, which helps in achieving a high concentration of fruit. Winemaker, David Gonzalez, has been at the winery since 1997. David’s philosophy of winemaking is not only based on good vine stock, but also on the knowledge given by enology.

Two years later, Santa Alicia continues to churn out an astonishingly superior range at low cost, allowing us to price very keenly. The wines have continued to gain notoriety, the Reserva Merlot picking up a Gold Medal at the Ottawa Wine and Food Show in Canada, and the Reserva Chardonnay (pictured) landing Gold at Vinales do’r Paris and Mundus Vini in Germany. Both were labelled ‘Best Buy’ by Wine Enthusiast.

It’s no surprise that these two keep ending up as wine of choice at weddings across the country since we introduced them to Ireland. The Santa Alicia fan base is young, but it’s growing… and growing fast.