CHIEF WINEMAKER

Tomás Muñoz (Santiago, 1990) discovered his passion for winemaking during his studies of Agricultural Engineering at Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. Driven by his deep interests in sustainability, ecology and self-declared a chemistry fanatic, he was certain that he would develop his specialization in between one of these fields. Until a course of Introduction to Oenology was the tipping point, “a mind-blowing experience where my love for winemaking was born, amazed that all the chemical theory could be so visible and tangible through the wine.”

After fulfilling his specialization in Oenology, in 2015 he completed his first harvest at Viña Concha y Toro, followed by a long trip abroad that began in California, seeking to expand his knowledge and experience beyond the Chilean borders. At Fetzer Vineyards located in Mendocino Valley, Tomás deepened his knowledge on sustainability and was mentored by legendary Robert Blue, former director of winemaking, with whom he shared memorable vineyard rides.

Later on, in early 2016, Tomás accomplished a new harvest in Kim Crawford, one of New Zealand's most internationally recognized wine producers based in Marlborough. Hours of cold night shifts allowed him to gather deep understanding in the new technologies and advanced winemaking practices that were at the forefront of the New World wines.

Back in California, this time in Monterrey wine country, Tomás spent the second half of 2016 at prominent family-owned Delicato Family Wines, leading boutique-scaled projects for Premium brands that immersed him in the complete wine process, from grape to glass. “It was only me with a couple of assistant winemakers in charge of the whole project including cellar operations. If I was not moving, neither did the grapes.”

After his harvests abroad, he returned to Chile in 2017 as Assistant Winemaker at Viña Santa Rita. Later in 2018, Tomás took over the Gran Reserva and Icon wines of Viña Carmen, belonging to the same wine group.

Tomás was appointed Viña Errázuriz’s Chief Winemaker in May 2021, eager to learn from the widely recognized quality of its wines and seeking to preserve that unique and distinctive style that characterizes the winery and its wines worldwide. Along this path, he also hopes to deliver all his knowledge and experience into modernizing oenological processes, incorporating new technologies in pursuit of efficiency in the cellar and promoting work teams, attending his interest in caring for relationships among his teammates.

“One of the things that excites me about oenology is that it is a very antique science with so many different techniques and methods, plus a thousand tools. I like being able to explore and try all these alternatives that at the same time are intertwined with the characteristics of each terroir. I have several ideas in mind. Nothing new, but adjusting them a bit we could achieve incredible results. The bar is certainly very high.”

On October 2021, Chilean wine critic Patricio Tapia, one of the most prestigious wine personalities in South America, included Tomás Muñoz as part of his Top 10 Promising Chilean Winemakers under 35, defined as “the new generation that is getting ready to take the reins of wine in our country.”

When he is not working at the Errázuriz Estate in Panquehue, visiting vineyards throughout the Aconcagua Valley or travelling abroad, Tomás enjoys family time, practicing his childhood sport field hockey, or climbing one of the many hills that surround the capital city Santiago.