Sustainably and organically farmed

Founded 25 years ago but built on more than 50 years of winemaking heritage. Bodegas Santalba’s father and
son winemakers, Santiago and Roberto, have recently been joined in the business by Roberto’s sister Laura, and
the family works harmoniously on traditional and maverick projects respectively.

Santalba has recently launched a fantastic natural wine range called Que Vida, meaning “What’s Up?” in Rioja.
A modern and fresh Rioja style with minimal intervention, Que Vida is made with Viura and Tempranillo grapes
sourced from Rioja Alta.

The fight against climate change:

Of the vineyards they own, all of Santalba’s are certified organic and the growers they work with follow the
winery’s strict environmentally sensitive practices, but it is not always financially viable for smaller growers to
jump through the official certification hoops which is why the wines are not labelled as certified organic.

With the severity and frequency of tempestuous weather increasing Santalba is totally immersed in the reality
of climate change and how it is affecting vine growing and winemaking in Rioja. They have experienced climate
damage first hand and so have established forward thinking viticultural processes to ensure a long and successful
future for the winery. These include and are not limited to managing a biodiverse cover crop, planting vineyards
at high altitudes where it is cooler, helping to re-establish abandoned vines, late pruning to avoid spring frost and tight control of surface roots to allow the deep ones to grow and reach water.

www.santalba.com
Instagram: @bodegassantalba