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Santiago, Chile, December
2006 – Cecilia Torres,
lead winemaker at Santa Rita,
one of the premier names in
Chilean fine wines, has been
named “Winemaker of the Year”
by the prestigious Guia
de Vinos de Chile (Wine
Guide to Chile). That was the
verdict of an independent panel
of 88 judges comprising Chile's
foremost winemakers, sommeliers
journalists and wine experts.
With this award, Ms. Torres
-- long regarded as a trailblazer
within the Chilean wine industry
-- establishes a new milestone,
becoming the first woman ever
to earn this exceptional honor.
The decision was announced
at a glittering gala dinner
and awards ceremony attended
by press and leading influentials
from across the Chilean wine
industry, held November 15 in
Santiago and coinciding with
publication of the latest 2007
edition of Guia de Vinos
de Chile.
At the presentation, Ms. Torres
was introduced as “someone
loved by all, whose outwardly
gentle demeanor masks an audacious
personality. Her boldness is
perfectly reflected in her wines,
which have silently set trend
after trend. She is rightly
and universally regarded as
a world-class winemaker.” The
tribute was accompanied by a
standing ovation and repeated
applause. Moreover,
Ms. Torres and her winemaking
team at Santa Rita went on to
earn three additional awards:
• Best Chilean
Chardonnay: Santa Rita
2005 Medalla Real Chardonnay
• Best Chilean
Syrah: Santa Rita 2004
Floresta Syrah
• Bronze
Medal: Santa Rita 2004
Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon-Syrah
“This
award catches me at one of
the best personal moments
of my life. It's a recognition
not just of my own work but,
more importantly, that of
an entire team. We are a tight-knit
group and that is portrayed
in the work we do at Santa
Rita.”
–
Cecila Torres on being presented
with the 2007
Winemaker of the Year award
Torres’ reputation stems from
a string of successes with numerous
Santa Rita wines over the years,
above all on account of her
work with Santa Rita’s top-flight
Casa Real. Since joining Santa
Rita in 1980, Ms. Torres has
dedicated her career to winemaking,
earning dozens of honors including
Enologist of the Year in 1997.
She is, without doubt, one of
the most important people in
the modern-day Chilean wine
industry and a pivotal figure
in Chile’s dramatic trajectory
into the top ranks of world-class
winemaking.
Throughout her career at Santa
Rita, Ms. Torres' professional
development has been complemented
with vintages abroad, working
with numerous top wine estates,
such as Rosemount in Australia,
Mondavi and Beringer in California
and the Bordeaux estates of
Château Petrus, Château
Margaux, Château Lafite
Rothschild, and Cos d'Estournel.
Founded in 1880, the Santa
Rita winery, headquartered at
the historic Alto Jahuel estate
near Santiago in the Maipo Valley,
was among the first to pioneer
plantings of European grape
varieties in Chile. In 1980
it was acquired by Ricardo Claro,
under whom Santa Rita has reaped
the rewards of continuous investment,
resulting in a period of impressive
growth, leading to its present-day
position in the vanguard of
Chile's most successful and
innovative estates. In addition
to the acclaimed, ultra-premium
Casa Real
and Triple C
wines, initiatives include the
highly successful launch of
Santa Rita's 120
Series .
Today Santa Rita exports to
more than 70 countries worldwide
and accounts for outstanding
vineyards in Chile's most important
appellations -- the Maipo Valley;
Casablanca; Rapel; Apalta; Leyda
and Curico. |
