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A delicious piece of nature in a glass

The Santei family proudly cares for 30,000 grapevines, 200 olive trees, walnut, lavender, and curry (immortelle) groves, a vegetable and herb garden, and a small flock of sheep, a few chickens, two Border Collies, and a cat. We do not want to just take, but also return back to nature. This is why we cultivate the entire estate using regenerative practices. This is reflected in healthy grapes that spontaneously ferment into Santei biodynamic wines, that proudly bear the organic and Demeter certificates. Santé!

About us

SANdra and MaTEI, we are SANTEI. Two foodies and wine-loving intellectuals, who gave up their director positions in multinational corporations, to become winemakers.

In the beginning, there was a dream. Then, many ideas came. Followed by a clear vision, to combine the best terroir with our respect for the nature in order to offer wine-lovers a new, organic, natural and unforgettable wine experience.

After that, the hard work began. Hard work that results in delicious Santei wines. We follow nature, we respect tradition. We use regenerative practises throughout the farm. Our wines are certified organic and biodynamic. This is our path.

Want to join? Cheers! Sante!

Purchase of the Santei estate

2008

Love. SANdra and MaTEI. SANTEI. A biologist and a mathematician. Both directors in multinational corporations. Living in the city, but sharing love for nature, hiking and climbing; and strong passion for food and wine. And a need for a big life-change.

Maks joins Santei family

2012

Over the next 5 years, we completely renovated the Santei estate, including the 200-year old house. After Maks´s birth we moved to our farm. Our first red wine Santei merlot 2008 won a golden medal at the American Finger Lakes international wine competition.

Start of organic farming

2014

Organic and natural is the only right way of farming. With strong respect for the nature, we grow almost 30.000 vines with focus on local varieties, 200 olive trees, walnut, lavender, and curry (immortelle) groves, a vegetable and herb garden.

Organic certificate

2018

All our wines from 2018 vintage onwards bear organic certificate. From the start of the year we introduced biodynamic principles to our farm. In march Sandra becomes a PhD.

Regenerative farming mindset

2019

We do not want to just take, but also give back to nature. From 2019 we introduced regenerative practices to our farm in order to restore soil health, improve biodiversity, and capture carbon. Santei wine labels got a new look designed by a talented Slovenian artist Matija Medved.

Demeter certified

2021

All our wines from 2021 vintage onwards are Demeter certified. We use light weight bottles and no plastic caps to help protect the environment and reduce CO2 emissions, as we strongly support regenerative farming. Our farm had become bigger in 2023. We now also take care of a flock of sheep, 2 sheep dogs, 4 hens and a cat.

Our Vineyards are laid in Vipava hills

The Santei estate is located in Vipava hills, the upper, rugged part of the Vipava Valley. Our vineyards are a part of the Upper Branica wine-growing sub-region, which is characterized by specific geo-climatic conditions that enable the production of premium wines. The Branica valley serves as the border between the Karst region and the Vipava Valley and encompasses the upper part of the Branica basin with the southern slopes of the Vipava hills. The ground is composed of the deposits of Eocene flysch, which is characterized by sequences of marlstone, sandy siltstone and coarse-grained carbonaceous sandstone, intertwined by thick and thin layers of breccias and conglomerates. The people from the Vipava region call this ideal wine-growing topsoil “soudan".

Upper Branica has a very specific location, because of the immediate vicinity of the Karst region, so the brown and white clay in the “soudan” mix with the red soil, typical of the Karst region. It is also characterized by lower temperatures. Our measurements show that the average temperatures are approximately 2 degrees lower than in the rest of the Upper Vipava Valley. This is the result of the Čipnje gorge limiting the inflow of warm Mediterranean air. The geo-climatic specifics of the Upper Branica valley allow the grapes to maintain the appropriate quantity of acids even when fully ripe, which contributes not only to their superior quality, but also to a potentially longer maturing period.

Santei biodynamic wines

Santei natural wines are the result of respect for mother Nature and Matej's perfectionism in the cellar.

We use regenerative practices throughout the farm, with the main focus on restoring the ecosystem by incorporating different species of plants and animals, and restoring and improving organic matter and biological activity in the soil. Through careful observation of individual parts of the vineyards, we use regenerative practices that help improve soil health, as organic matter in the soil is key to establishing good structure and texture and, consequently, more efficient water exchange between the soil and the vines. We do not use insecticides or pesticides. All this allows the Gornja Branica terroir, located in the Vipava Valley on the border with the Karst, to fully express itself in our grapes and wines.

Santei wines are macerated, with the length of contact between the grape berries and the skins adjusted to the varieties and vintages. The wines are fresh, lively, and drinkable. All wines are certified organic and biodynamic (Demeter).

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Organic, biodynamic and natural

Our vision is to combine the best terroirs of Vipava hills and our deep respect for nature, to offer you a natural, organic and unforgettable wine experience.

These are the principles we follow strictly:

We practice regenerative farming throughout the whole estate
Great wines are born in the vineyard
Our wines are made in a natural way

1. We practice regenerative farming throughout the whole estate

We believe in the concept of sustainability. We do most of the work in our vineyards, including harvest manually. We use regenerative practices throughout the farm, with the main focus on restoring the ecosystem by incorporating different species of plants and animals, and restoring and improving organic matter and biological activity in the soil. Through careful observation of individual parts of the vineyards, we use regenerative practices that help improve soil health, as organic matter in the soil is key to establishing good structure and texture and, consequently, more efficient water exchange between the soil and the vines. We do not use insecticides or pesticides.

In our sustainability efforts, we are assisted by nature itself:

The mixing of the Mediterranean and the continental climate, in combination with the bora wind, is specific to the Vipava Valley and greatly influences the production of premium quality grapes. The bora and the cold air from the Nanos mountain keep the ground cold and reduce humidity, which could otherwise cause grapevine diseases, so we are able to work the vine sustainably and in a way that is friendly both to nature and to our customers.
All our vineyards are built in terraces at the altitudes above 220 meters. The average cant of our vineyards is 25% to facilitate the air flow between the vines, drying them quickly after the rain. At the same time, this makes work at the vineyards more difficult and requires a lower crop load on the grapevines, which is an important factor in the production of our premium wines.

2. Great wines are born in the vineyard

We believe in the concept of terroir. Premium wines can only be produced from the grapes which are grown at the best wine-growing sites. We place great importance on the wine growing tradition. Our ancestors, the old farmers of the Vipava valley region knew exactly which wine growing locations were the most appropriate for individual grapevine varieties, so we strictly adhere to this tradition. All Santei vineyards are planted at the locations where vineyards were grown in the past. Our wines are made exclusively from the grapes that we grow in our vineyards.

3. Our wines are made in a natural way

We respect tradition. In our wine cellar we follow the French know-how. We use traditional French wooden press for pressing grapes and utilize no additives in the winemaking process, apart from sulfur, which is added in minimum quantities necessary. The essence of our oenological processes is cleanliness, attention to details and time, and these factors only support the premium grapes from our organic and biodynamic vineyards. We believe that every wine needs enough time to fully mature in the barrel before it is bottled. Only when fully harmonized, we offer our wines, spirits and gin to our customers.