Viña Santa Berta

The winery

Viña Santa Berta is on the Santa Berta de Millapel estate, in the municipality of San Nicolás, about 15 minutes from Chillán and 3 km from the highway, at the gateway to the Itata Valley. The place has a winegrowing history going back to the nineteenth century, when País, Moscatel and Cinsault were grown in the area; after the death of its owner Pedro Pablo Medel Mercado, in 1938, the vineyards were gradually lost. In 1997 the Errázuriz Domínguez family, led by Pedro Pablo Errázuriz Ossa, replanted the estate and spent five years restoring its late-1800s cellars, whose adobe walls, 80 centimeters thick and eight meters high, keep the temperature stable for the French oak barrels and vats.

The vineyards are spread over two alluvial terraces beside the Ñuble River, whose cool breeze favors a day-night temperature swing the winery puts at close to 25 °C. The family highlights its Pinot Noir, Malbec, Cinsault, Moscatel and Riesling, and also grows Merlot, Chardonnay and Pinot Gris, among other grapes. The wines are made and bottled on the estate itself and sold under the Berta Family Wines brand: the Reserva line, the Gran Reservas, among them an Albariño, the red Founder, mostly Malbec with 24 months in barrel, sparkling wines such as the Extra Brut and the traditional-method Nature, and limited editions such as the wine liqueurs and Flor del Itata, a sherry-style wine. They are sold at the winery's shop, Tuesday to Saturday from 9:00 to 17:00, in the online shop berta.cl, where the Reservas cost CLP 9,900, and in restaurants, hotels and shops in several cities, from Santiago to Puerto Natales.

Visits are by booking, Tuesday to Saturday, with departures at 11:00, 13:00 and 15:00 and from two people. There are three tours that combine a walk through the winery with a tasting of two wines: Raíz is the simplest, Recuerdo adds a glass to take home, and Legado adds a wine straight from the barrel as well; to any of them you can add the Tabla Itata, with cheese, charcuterie and Chilean hazelnuts from the area. For groups there are tastings guided by the winemaker, paired lunches and dinners, and a full day with lunch or a country barbecue. The walk passes the colonial-style manor house, the gardens, the chapel and the barrel room, and along the way comes the art collection the founder began, with the sculpture “Nacimiento de Eva” by Per Ung and wooden replicas of works by Picasso made by Eduardo Mena. At the Haras Santa Berta, a stud that has bred show-jumping horses since 2020, you can see the paddocks and, at times, a training session. The winery has no accommodation: the nearest options are in Chillán. It is also rented for weddings and corporate events.