Viña Concha y Toro has decided to back Viña Amelia in Chile by dedicating the winery to chardonnay and pinot noir, while positioning the business as an “independent subsidiary” within the group.
The move, announced late yesterday (16 April), will see Viña Amelia become “the first Chilean winery with extensive international distribution devoted exclusively to the production of chardonnay and pinot noir,” according to Concha y Toro. The group believes the winery’s Limarí Valley location, in the far north of Chile’s wine-producing area, is well-placed for the project, based on its clay-rich soils and the influence of the Pacific Ocean and the Humboldt Current (which is a cold, low-salinity ocean current flowing north along South America’s western coast).
Asked how the new independent division would work, a spokesperson explained: “Viña Amelia will operate with its own legal and financial structure, and [winemaker] Marcelo Papa will be much more involved in the decision-making process with the role of technical director. In terms of day-to-day operations, there will not be significant changes.”
The ‘standalone subsidiary’ status will give Viña Amelia “greater autonomy and a more dedicated leadership structure”, the spokesperson added. It will also allow the brand to “communicate its Limarí Valley origin more clearly, and project a brand with solid foundations for independent development on the international stage”.
Concha CEO Eduardo Guilisasti added: “The creation of Viña Amelia represents a new milestone within the premiumisation strategy that the company has consistently pursued over the past decade. This step reflects our conviction that the future of high-end wines is built on specialisation, origin, and identity.
“Just as in 2019, [when] we launched Viña Don Melchor as an independent subsidiary within the Concha y Toro portfolio, today we move forward with Viña Amelia.”
In March, the company, which also owns vineyards and brands in Argentina, the US and, since February, Provence in France, posted a 1.7% lift in reported sales for 2025, despite a 4.4% top-line slide in the closing quarter of the year.
