Teresita Ovalle

Winemaker – Floresta Range

Born in Santiago, Chile, and raised in a family connected to the agricultural world, Teresita grew up in a rural environment that sparked her interest in nature and working with the land. This early connection led her to study Viticulture and Enology at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, where she took her first steps toward turning her passion into a profession.

After completing her studies, she traveled through Europe to explore different terroirs and winemaking methods. She began at Alberto Antonini’s winery in Tuscany, Italy, and continued in France, working at Le Vins de Vienne in the Rhône Valley and at Paul Prieur in Sancerre. These experiences broadened her perspective and deepened her commitment to authenticity and respect for the grape’s origin.

In 2015, she joined the winemaking team at Viña Carmen, where she played an active role in the development of Carmen DO, a line focused on old vineyards and heritage varieties. In 2017, she became part of the team at Viña Santa Rita, working alongside Sebastián Labbé on high-end wines such as Floresta, Triple C, Pewën de Apalta, and Bougainville.

The following year, she completed an internship at Château Lafite in France, specializing in Cabernet Sauvignon, with the aim of contributing to the development of this variety in Alto Maipo, especially in Alto Jahuel.

Since 2022, Teresita has led the Floresta line, a project that embodies her deepest vision of wine: interpreting terroir with honesty and precision, allowing each variety to fully express itself in the place where it truly belongs. Guided by a philosophy of minimal intervention, Floresta is rooted in continuous exploration and a rigorous understanding of the soils, climates, and landscapes that define Chile’s most renowned wine valleys. It is also an innovative line that offers a fresh perspective on classic varieties, challenging traditional approaches to reveal new facets of their identity. For Teresita, each wine must be a faithful and consistent expression of its origin, one that conveys, vintage after vintage, the essence of the place it comes from.

Her path led her, in 2024, to be named “Young Winemaker of the Year” by the prestigious Chilean guide Mesa de Cata by La CAV, which praised her as a versatile and talented professional who has built her career step by step, with achievements that are now beginning to bear fruit. The following year, the same publication included her among the most influential figures in Chilean wine, portraying her as one of the leading protagonists of the industry in the years to come.