The Viña Santa Rita winery stands over 1,500 years of history. Finding tombs belonging to the Llolleo culture underneath the floor of its warehouses suggests that the Llolleo people settled on this area around 500 aC. Subsequently, some records indicate that when Incas arrived in the Maipo River Valley in 1400, they had planned their Qhapaq Ñan (Andean Road System) on these lands and installed a tambo in the farmhouse.

After the Spanish Conquest, land distribution through encomiendas or given in retribution was implemented; therefore, the first owners, Cristóbal Muñoz and Catalina Gómez (1575-1613), were given Maipo estate in retribution in 1575 by Governor Rodrigo de Quiroga. The farmhouse was located on the south bank of the river. They took possession in 1576. Successively, the estate would be repeatedly inherited and sold, changing ownership many times throughout its history.

By 1724, Fernando Astorga and Teresa Montaner bought the estate, which then remained uninhabited due to water issues. This situation was promptly solved, since their neighbor Antonio Jaraquemada was using their lands where the brook is located (that runs across the estate village and half the vineyard). Jaraquemada acknowledged Astorga’s ownership and left the place. Thus, having water again, the vineyard production quickly resumed. Since then it is called Santa Rita. After becoming widowed, Teresa Montaner filed a lawsuit in 1740 against Antonio Jaraquemada about Jagüey land rights. The Rancagua corregidor (local administrative and judicial official) ruled that they should respect the lands every one had originally used. Relying upon this ruling, she positioned one of her tenants, Domingo Navarrete, in them. Domingo Jaraquemada, Antonio’s son, burned down Navarrete’s ranch. Because of this, Teresa turned to the Real Audiencia (appellate court) that, in 1741, ruled in favor of the Jaraquemada family. Therefore, the west boundary of the estate, along with Paine lands, became their property. By 1764, Teresa Montaner, having several grandchildren to look after on an economic basis, decided to sell the estate to Melchor Jaraquemada, husband of her granddaughter Teresa Montaner. Melchor, after 10 years in the estate, had two vineyards, two mills, a house, a chapel, 1,700 cows, nearly 1,000 sheep and hundreds of mules, herds of mares, horses, some foals and oxes. He bought neighboring lands, and when he died, the estate was divided into two farms. West farm, towards Tango road, was assigned to his daughter María Concepción Jaraquemada, while east farm, towards Principal hills, including the house, the chapel and the vineyard, was assigned to his son José Agustín Jaraquemada, who would be the next owner of Santa Rita.

José Agustín spent long seasons in Santa Rita, sharing with his children and the Jaraquemada Alquízar cousins, particularly with Paula, both patriots. The story goes that she had sheltered in the Santa Rita houses 120 soldiers from the José de San Martín’s division who, wounded and tired, sought refuge in present-day Viña Santa Rita after meeting the Spanish Crown’s forces in the Battle of Cancha Rayada, on March 19, 1818. It is in honor to these 120 patriots that the Santa Rita winery created its popular 120 wine brand.

In late 1843, José Agustín died, and his widow, Tránsito Correa, designated Manuel Novoa, a judge of the Supreme Court of Justice, as an arbitrator of property, who by 1844 divided the Santa Rita estate into several farms. The Casas de Santa Rita farm was auctioned in 1845, and Manuel María Figueroa won it, who revamped the fields and the winery, turning it into a modern estate. After his death, his widow, Enriqueta Fornés, sold the estate to Domingo Fernández Concha in 1880.

Domingo Fernández Concha, brother of Bishop Rafael Fernández Concha, former congressman Pedro Fernández Concha and Josefa Fernández Concha (Mother María de San Agustín de Jesús, Mother Superior of the Good Shepherd Congregation), founded the Banco de Domingo Fernández Concha bank and the Banco Nacional and worked in the administration of Garantizador de Valores and Sudamericano banks. In 1882 the Banco de Santiago was created under his auspices. A Senator between 1906 and 1912, former Proprietary Congressman for Chillán between 1870 and 1873, he dedicated a big share of his personal wealth to finance charities and promote the defense of the Catholic religion.

In 1887, he promoted the creation of the Banco Popular oriented to loans, discounts and savings for small industries and laborers. Nevertheless, his most important entrepreneurship was the foundation of Viña Santa Rita winery in 1880, which not only yield him huge personal revenues, but also became the preferred space for the Chilean Church. It was a meeting and leisure place for religious people from different congregations.

During that period of time, new houses for tenants, a theater, a school, a new house overlooking the park and, the dream of Domingo Fernández Concha, a church were built. Besides, the Santa Rita train was implemented.

For building the manor house, he hired German architect Theodore Burchard, who based the construction on an elevation, taking advantage of the privileged view towards the extensive park designed by Alsatian landscaper Guillermo Renner. Burchard was also in charge of the church construction.

After Domingo’s death in 1910, his family agreed on holding a public auction to sell agricultural properties, including the Santa Rita estate. In 1911, poet Vicente García-Huidobro, son-in-law of Domingo Fernández Concha, bought the Santa Rita estate, keeping machinery and the working system implemented by his father-in-law.

When Vicente García-Huidobro died in 1948, there was a breakdown in the administration of the winery. His children had to face the decision making process. Thus, in 1964 the winery that was a limited company became a stock corporation. By 1979, such a corporation, led by the businessman Jorge Fontaine, put an end to 99 years of family continuity in the management and ownership of the winery.

In 1980, after extensive negotiations, businessman Ricardo Claro bought the warehouses of the Santa Rita winery – 70 hectares of vineyards, as well as wine brands. Later, he acquired the rest of the Santa Rita estate, taking special care in recovering heritage, a witness of our history.

Nowadays, it is a large tourist complex and one of the most important wineries of Chile. Domingo Fernández Concha’s former house is the Casa Real Hotel; weddings, ceremonies and other cultural events are held; in the Paula Jaraquemada’s former house a restaurant operates, which, in her honor, is called Doña Paula; and the Museo Andino (Andean museum) was built which exhibits over 2,000 pieces of Pre-Columbian art.