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Viña Carmen welcomes Ana María Cumsille as winemaker

Cumsille, recognised as one of Chile’s most prestigious winemakers, will assume her role on 2 November, leading all oenological projects at the winery.

An agronomical engineer graduate from Universidad Mayor, Cumsille also specialised in oenology at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile and holds the esteemed Diplôme National D'œnologie (DNO) from Bordeaux, France.

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With over two decades of professional experience, Cumsille (pictured) was recently honoured as the ‘Revelation Winemaker of the Year’ by Descorchados 2023, a prominent Chilean wine guide led by journalist Patricio Tapia. 

Cumsille previously served as a winemaker at Altair Winery in Cachapoal, overseeing the production of wines such as Altair and Sideral, while also contributing to their sales efforts. She also made significant contributions as a winemaker at Indómita winery in Casablanca, where she supervised the production of premium white and red wines.

In addition, Cumsille worked in the Itata Valley, where she initially served as the winemaker in charge at Cucha Cucha winery. Her primary focus was to revive traditional and native grape varieties of the region, including País, Cinsault, and Moscatel de Alejandría. Subsequently, she initiated her personal project, ‘Centenary Wineries of Small Producers in Itata,’ aiming to showcase the characteristics of the coastal drylands and highlight the local communities' efforts.

Jaime de la Barra, winegrowing director of Santa Rita Estates, the group to which Viña Carmen belongs, said: “We invited Ana María to be part of this project due to her extensive winemaking career, her experience in crafting high-end wines, the valuable contributions she has made to small producers, and her innovative vision. She is an asset that will undoubtedly further enrich our entire team and winery.”

• Santa Rita Estates
• Jaime de la Barra
• Ana María Cumsille
• Viña Carmen