Viña Santa Ema
Viña Santa Ema Winemaking Consultant Irene Paiva earned her Agricultural Engineering degree with a specialization in Enology and Viticulture from the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile. She has worked at Viña Errázuriz and was in charge of Viña San Pedro’s entire enological operation for more than 6 years.
In 2006 she joined the Viña Santa Ema team, where her role is to actively participate in blending the wines for export, prepare market studies, and contribute her knowledge to the creation of new products.
Viña Santa Ema’s Chief winemaker since 2000 is Andrés Sanhueza, who earned his degree in Agricultural Engineering and specialization in Enology and Viticulture at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile. His early experience included a period as Assistant Winemaker at the Concha y Toro and Cono Sur wineries. He has also been a member of the National Association of Agricultural Engineers-Enologists of Chile since 1999.
Andrés, along with the Viña Santa Ema enological team, was responsible for leading the project and construction of the modern El Peral Bodega in Isla de Maipo. He also led the process of obtaining the ISO 9001 and 14001 certifications.
He was one of the primary agents behind the creation of Rivalt, Santa Ema’s icon wine, and the modern Amplus line, which have been well-recognized since their initial release on the market. Andrés has personally supervised the production of all Santa Ema wines since 2000 and offers technical support to the commercial areas in the marketing of the company’s wines.
Rodrigo has been a Viña Santa Ema winemaker since 2006. He earned his degree in Agricultural Engineering and specialization in Enology and Viticulture at the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile. His interest in the area led him to continue his studies at the University of California at Davis, where he earned his Master’s in Viticultural and Enological Science.
Rodrigo’s professional career has taken him to important wineries in Chile and California, working in the areas of viticulture, enology, and project development. With more than 12 years of experience in the area, Rodrigo joined Santa Ema to strengthen the viticultural and enological team to contribute his vocation, experience, and knowledge to the production of all of the wines in the different lines of Viña Santa Ema wines.
Samuel Barros has been a winemaker at Viña Santa Ema since January 2008. He graduated from the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile in 1997 with a degree in Agricultural Engineering and specialization in Enology and Viticulture. He began his career at the Torreón de Paredes and Santa Carolina wineries in 1998 and 1999.
He traveled to the United States in 2000 to pursue a Master’s degree in Viticulture at the University of California at Davis. While there he also worked as a viticultural consultant and winegrower at companies such as Flora Spring Winery and Vineyards and Cartlidge and Browne Winery, which allowed him to acquire a solid foundation in all aspects of the production of wine grapes.
At Viña Santa Ema, Samuel is in charge of managing the estate vineyards and supervising external producers. His contributions include his knowledge of implementing the most modern production technology that aids in achieving the finest quality of raw material that makes Santa Ema wines exceptional.
Santa Ema 2009