How did you become a winemaker?

I always loved nature, being outside, so I started to study agronomy at the University. But not specifically to become a winemaker first. In the middle of my study, I went to the United States to work receiving different fruits from Chile, peaches, table grapes. My first job in the fruit industry was quality control. I had to pay attention to the aesthetic of the grape: its color, its size. I found there was too much importance given only to the esthetic of the fruit. It was a first revelation for me, because the wine grapes are the total opposite. If they are small or if their aesthetic is imperfect, that’s not what is important. What is more important, is what is inside, not how they look. One grape was like a top model based on the aesthetic; the other grape was more like the spirit of the land it came from. It translates the history of what happened for years in the soils. I started to think that this was my way. when I came back from the United States, my point of view had shifted, and there was no coming back. I started to study the terroir, to specialize in wine grapes and wine making.

Was wine making a tradition in your family?

Not really, my father is an engineer but not in agronomy. But we have a family farm. I’ve been going to the farm since I was a kid and I was really close to my grandfather. When I had a few free days, I would go there. All my life I had a connection with the farm. One of my father’s brothers was a famous winemaker in Chile but I personally made the click after that. Even if I am from Santiago the Capital, always I preferred the farm. Each opportunity I had, I was going to the farm. Still today.

How did your story with Cono Sur begin?

When I started to study to become a winemaker, I moved to vina San Pedro, it was a big winery. I started to work in the domestic kind of wine. I grew quickly in the Company. I spent 3 years there producing bulk wine, big volumes. I was 24 years old and I had a big career ahead in this style of wine, but it was not for me. I love the terroir, the organic, the details, the quality. An opportunity at Cono Sur presented itself. I knew the philosophy of Cono Sur, and that was what I was looking for. So I took a small job first, to replace a winemaker who was on a pregnancy leave. Then when the winemaker came back, I could stay at Cono Sur. I had the chance to grow with the Company. It became a very important part of my history.

What are you the proudest of, related to your winemaker career?

I’m proud to work in this low impact philosophy, with respect of the environment, the people. Having a responsible approach in the vineyard management and the cellar. I think it’s the way great wines are made. I’m also proud of the work and projects we’ve done with Pinot Noir. This is a difficult variety with which you don’t have any room for mistake. It really became a passion for me. When I make a vertical tasting of Pinot Noir, I can recognize myself in the bottle for each vintage.

Do you have a funny anecdote to share?

Thousands! In the valley of San Antonio, we have a virgin area around us. We have put the vineyard behind the natural forest, so we have a lot of biodiversity there. The Pinot Noir we grow there has a low production cause the soil is difficult and mineral. I remember one time, I was there in the late afternoon to check and taste the grapes. Tow rows across from me, was a small fox. He was doing the same as me: he was tasting the grapes! I told him to get out, but he just moved a little and he kept following me for one hour. I finally understood I was going to share this grape tasting with him! It was a fun moment!

Thank you Matias. We had already met you through your wine, and it was great to meet you as a person!