Montes

At the heart of Chile’s rolling vineyards, which masterfully blend deep flavors and fragrances, is Montes Wines, a beacon of regenerative agriculture that embodies sustainable growth and quality wine production.

“For over 30 years, we have devoted our time, work, and talent to develop superior quality products sustainably, turning Montes into a leading wine supplier in the Chilean wine industry,” says Aurelio Montes, founder and principal partner of Montes Wines.

As a nation with a widespread infrastructure for solar and wind energy, Chile creates a clean energy surplus for local distributors to trade globally. Montes capitalizes on this opportunity by using in-house solar panels, allowing it to be self-sufficient for up to 15 percent of its energy needs while procuring the remaining 85 percent from local clean energy distributors.

The brand offers five wines, starting at a $100 retail price, powered by a quality-focused approach. These icon wines are sustainably produced using French oak barrels, paddle fermentation techniques, innovative viticulture, and enology to maintain long-term bottle aging. Montes also adopts a deep regenerative agriculture, energy, and water-saving initiative as a standard market exportation practice. This applies regardless of whether a country embraces sustainable measures or not.

Dedicated to the global wine market, Montes distributes 95 percent of its production across 100-plus countries and reserves the remaining for local consumers. With a vast footprint in Asia, it is one of the Chilean wineries with a strong presence in Japan, Indonesia, Vietnam, and other Southeast Asian markets.

Amid the globally evolving drought-like conditions, Montes conducted extensive vineyard research to find a unique conservation methodology. It consistently regulated water during production, saving 1 million liters per hectare for over a decade. To achieve the best water conservation outcomes, the company always educates suppliers and trains internal staff to ensure that everything, from grape cultivation to distribution, adheres to sustainability practices.

Montes captures high levels of CO2 from the atmosphere to reduce emissions and promote environmentally responsible practices. In 2019, it implemented a carbon-neutral vision to actively measure, reduce, and offset greenhouse gas emissions.

“At Montes Wines, we practice regenerative agriculture as part of the solution—cultivating the land while also healing it, focusing on improving soil structure, retaining water, and enhancing the nutrient cycle,” states Aurelio. “Because of this, regenerative agriculture has an important role in carbon capture. About 60 percent of our fields maintain vegetation cover; with this, we have increased the organic matter in our soils by 0.5% in 2 years, which is equivalent to offsetting CO2 emissions by 41 tons per hectare.”

In the same vein, Montes owns over 1.000 acres of a natural reserve, a native forest, and a significant area of biological corridors promoting local flora and fauna development. Also, it avoids the start of fires, which is among today’s prominent environmental mishaps, by pruning the forestry to minimize major blazes and loss of trees.

Substantiating its binding focus on ethical practices around environmental management, social responsibility, and economic viability is the Sustainable Wine of Chile Certification that Montes received in 2011.

Having established a strong commitment to sustainable practices, including energy efficiency, water conservation, and environmental responsibility, Montes Wines now looks to extend its eco-friendly initiatives beyond its existing vineyards.

Montes aims to leverage its expertise in mitigating the impact of global warming to establish vineyards in the pristine Patagonian region. This region, characterized by unexplored hillsides and valleys supported by the Humboldt Current, holds the promise of becoming a wine enthusiast's paradise in the near future.