Viña María Carlota

The winery

Viña María Carlota is the project of the Durán Fernández sisters and brothers in the Poñén sector, municipality of Florida, at the southern edge of the Itata Valley. The grandparents planted the vineyard and the third generation now works it, led by Rosa Durán: she says they carry on because their father, Rafael, asked them to. Like so many growers in the area, the family made wine for local consumption and sold must in bulk, until it began to bottle under its own label. In 2025 its Poñén Cinsault 2023 won a gold medal at the Catad'Or World Wine Awards, an achievement that INDAP's regional director and the mayor of Florida went to the winery to celebrate.

The vines grow on the hills of Poñén, near the creek of the same name, with Cinsault, País and Moscatel de Alejandría. The harvest is done by hand in the fall, with neighbors and family; they ferment with native yeasts, separate the plots according to the lay of the land, and on social media they speak of natural wines and “living wines”. Their labels include Poñén, a Cinsault; 60, which blends Cinsault and País; Florida, a Cinsault rosé; Rafael and Buenamoza. The family also makes preserves, such as its pickled changles, a forest mushroom.

The winery publishes no program, hours or rates, so arrange the visit in advance, by email to rosa.dufer@gmail.com or by message on Instagram (@vinamariacarlota). It does receive people: it has an open quincho (barbecue pavilion) facing the vineyard, in February 2026 it thanked a family from Italy for their visit, and in November 2025 it told INDAP it already takes part in the wine-tourism circuit, with the goal of offering tastings. The Cartografía Vitivinícola del Biobío (the region's wine map), a Duoc UC project, describes a tour of the winery, a tasting of Cinsault and Moscatel and a walk along native-forest trails down to the creek, together with a cabin for up to 9 people with a pool, hot tub, country breakfast and lunch in the quincho, price on request; confirm that offer with the family. Its wines do not currently appear in the online shops reviewed: the winery has taken them to fairs, such as those of 2025 and 2026 in Parque Ecuador and the Diagonal, in Concepción, Parque Pedro del Río Zañartu and the Fest Mística in Florida, and it is worth asking directly how to buy them.