Ana María Cumsille is Head Winemaker at Viña Carmen in Chile. She brings more than 20 years of experience and a terroir-driven approach rooted in authenticity and experimentation. An Agricultural Engineer with oenology training in Chile and Bordeaux, she has worked at leading wineries in Chile, France, and the United States.
Her career includes crafting premium wines at Viña Altair and Viña Indómita, as well as pioneering work in Chile’s Itata Valley, where she founded Viñas Centenarias to preserve old-vine, dry-farmed País, Cinsault, and Muscat of Alexandria and support local producers.
Since joining Carmen in 2023, she has combined traditional winemaking with an innovative, origin-focused approach. Her work has earned significant recognition, including Descorchados’ Revelation Winemaker of the Year (2023) and inclusion among The Drinks Business’ Top 100 Winemakers in the World (2024). Media Inquiries: Leah Isenberg lisenberg@colangelopr.com | https://www.carmen.com/en/
What’s the ONE THING most unique, authentic, & memorable about your brand?
Viña Carmen is one of Chile’s oldest wineries and has a history that is an important part of the country’s winemaking heritage. Even the name has a deeply personal origin: Carmen was the wife of the winery’s founder, reflecting from the very beginning a story built on personal connections, tradition, and a strong sense of identity.
One of the most important attributes of Viña Carmen is precisely our ability to evolve and constantly challenge ourselves. This duality is reflected in our portfolio: on one hand, we produce wines that represent our tradition and experience, such as Carmen Gold; on the other, we develop much more innovative expressions, such as our DO range, which explores new territories, varieties, and ways of expressing Chilean wine.
This is complemented by a strong and growing commitment to sustainability, understanding that preserving our heritage also means protecting the resources and environment that allow Chilean viticulture to continue developing into the future.
I believe this combination of tradition, innovation, and a forward-looking vision is what makes Viña Carmen unique. We build on our heritage while continuing to evolve. Our strength lies precisely in maintaining an identity with more than 160 years of history, while retaining the curiosity and ability to keep moving forward.
Describe how and what you’d do with your winemaking career or winery business if you were not constrained.
If I had no limitations, I would like to create a wine project that would allow me to explore Chile from a completely different perspective: its most remote places, its oldest vineyards, its traditional varieties, and, above all, the people and stories behind them.
I would like to have the freedom to work with exceptional vineyards throughout Chile, without being constrained by volume, grape availability, or commercial considerations. I would seek out unique and often overlooked places, as well as varieties that may not yet have received the recognition they deserve, and give them the time and resources they need to express themselves in the most authentic way possible.
Another very important part of this dream would be to work closely with old vineyards and the people who have cared for them for generations. I would like to help ensure that these vineyards and traditional varieties have a future, giving them greater economic and cultural value so that they can continue to be part of Chile’s winemaking heritage.
What is the One Wine most emblematic of your brand and/or winemaking style? Tell us its story.
If I had to choose one wine to represent Viña Carmen, I would choose Carmen Gold. It is the wine that best tells our story: where we come from, what we have learned, and where we want to go.
Carmen Gold represents, in many ways, the essence of our winery: a combination of history, tradition, and a constant pursuit of excellence. Viña Carmen has more than 160 years of history, and Carmen Gold was born from this legacy, as an expression of the winery’s premium wines and of the experience accumulated over generations.
It represents our way of understanding great Chilean wines: wines with depth, structure, and aging potential, while also being elegant, balanced, and capable of expressing the character of their origin. It is a wine that has evolved while maintaining a very clear and recognizable identity. Stay tuned, this wine review is coming soon!