A history of innovation at Viña Undurraga

Viña Undurraga is celebrating its 140th anniversary with a bold new motto: ‘where tradition meets innovation’. db explores how the winery lives up to that ideal.

Francisco Undurraga Vicuña, the winery’s founder.

In some ways, nothing changes when a winery hits a certain milestone. The change is not sudden – there is no new legal responsibility or free bus pass to celebrate – and the winemaking will likely continue in the same trajectory. You may well ask: what’s the big deal?

Yet hitting a milestone anniversary can have subtler effects on a producer. It is an opportunity to reflect and refocus, to realise what has let it succeed for so long. That is certainly the case for Viña Undurraga, whose 140th anniversary has proved a chance to articulate its position.

‘Where tradition meets innovation’. That is the motto the winery has newly adopted, 140 years after Francisco Undurraga Vicuña founded the company.

The tradition is self-evident: you cannot reach 140 years without some heritage. Yet where does the company’s innovation show itself? And how do these two facets of Viña Undurraga play off each other?

Innovators from the off

1885 may be the key date, as the year Viña Undurraga was inaugurated, but the restless spirit behind it extends further back. Undurraga Vicuña began his endeavours in the wine industry in 1870, taking the bold move of importing vines directly from Europe. He had the precious samples – Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir from France, Riesling and Gewürztraminer from Germany – transported in lead capsules, which protected the plants from the stifling heat as they crossed the equator.

Undurraga Vicuña was, it is fair to say, a meticulous planner. Yet he combined that with a flair for inventive thinking. He purchased, for instance, packing materials that had transported rifles in The War of the Pacific. Repurposing the Bosnian oak, they became the company’s first casks.

Thus when Viña Undurraga launched in 1885, it was ahead of the game. At its estate in Talagante, Maipo Valley, It already had vines of demonstrable pedigree, barrels for ageing and an established estate, named Fundo Santa Ana after Undurraga Vicuña’s wife.

Indeed, the forward-thinking approach soon meant that Viña Undurraga could break new ground with its commercial success. Within 20 years, it had become the first Chilean winery to export to the US. In 1903, each state in the nation (45, at that point) received a case of Undurraga’s Pinot Noir. Soon after, it began winning international medals at wine competitions.

Melding bold choices with a focus on quality meant that, over its first century or so, Viña Undurraga’s prospects have only continued to grow. It expanded to 60 export markets, grew its portfolio to cover a wide range of both styles and varieties and hosted famous figures such as Olaf V of Norway, Neil Armstrong and Gabriel García Márquez.

Continuing a legacy

After 140 years, an innovative mindset still drives the winemaking at Viña Undurraga, not just as a means of driving quality forward, but also as a tribute to Francisco Undurraga Vicuña’s pioneering approach. As head winemaker Rafael Urrejola puts it: “140 years later, we remain faithful to Don Francisco’s vision – blending deep respect for our origins with an innovative approach to the future.”

Often that amounts to eschewing Chilean wine stereotypes and prioritising instead what the winemakers believe will bring quality. For instance, its well-regarded T.H. Terroir Hunter series explores small plots from across Chile. That includes in famous regions, such as finding unique microclimates for Cabernet Sauvignon in the Maipo Alto. Yet it also features emerging regions, as seen in a Chadronnay from Limarí Valley in the north or in the Pinot Noir, sourced from cool, southern Malleco province.

The principle extends even further in the T.H. Terroir Hunter Rarities releases. These unusual meetings of terroir and varieties feature, for instance, Chilean Montepulciano or Riesling blended with Sauvignon Gris. It is a bold, innovative approach to winemaking, but also deeply rooted in the terroirs and traditions that have sustained the Chilean industry for centuries.

When faced with one of the greatest challenges of our times – climate change – Viña Undurraga is similarly innovative. It has funded reforestation projects, joined International Wineries for Climate Action and installed solar panels on its estate and vineyards. The ambitious projects are already yielding results: since 2022, the company has reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 26.2%.

Marking the moment

Viña Undurraga is choosing to celebrate the milestone in several ways. That new motto is certainly an element of it, encapsulating the winery’s balance between tradition and innovation. That has also reinvigorated its marketing, with a new video offering a glimpse of how Viña Undurraga is living according to that principle.

For those who cannot celebrate in Chile in person, the winery has also released two limited-edition bottlings under its Founder’s Collection label. The duo – a Cabernet Sauvignon and a Carmenere – showcase emblematic varieties and terroirs of Chile. Patrick Schmitt MW, tasting the wines, deemed them “intense and structured” and “a really delicious varietal Carmenere”. Even well into its second century, Viña Undurraga is showing no signs of relenting as innovation and tradition lead it to better quality.