2023-12-03 08:27:00
Ana Viola is CEO of the Malma Winery and president of the Chamber of Exporting Wineries of Patagonia. A few days ago she was chosen among the 50 most influential women currently working in the wine industry worldwide. The award was designed to recognize, connect and honor women who have significantly shaped the wine and spirits sector.
She is from Cipol, with a medical profession, a master’s degree in agri-food business management, also a mother of two teenagers and an agronomy student. Among these roles and functions, the days and life of Ana Viola unfold. Committed to each of the positions assumed by her, Ana is grateful and feels very honored to be among the 50 most influential women in the Wine Industry 2023.
How to protect the vineyard from frost, to have better grapes, to generate quality work, to standardize practices that aim at environmental sustainability, are Ana’s motivations and concerns.
From the beginnings in the activity
As a medical student, Ana Viola distributed the first productions of wine in the trunk of a car. Her immediate acceptance of the drink led her to think of an identity for the wine. Today she is involved in 100% of the entire production circuit.
“It was starting to look for the name, labels and boxes for the wines and starting to communicate them. So I also went out to sell them door to door. I would load the car with wines and we would go out with my husband and my brother to sell them everywhere. First we started in the mountain area and then we continued in Buenos Aires and the Alto Valle area. So that was my first connection with wine from a professional point of view,” recalls the CEO of Malma.
Today he is working hard in the family winery. He enjoys every period of the year in the vineyard. Each cycle awakens a diversity of sensations and recognition of the hard work of the cultural tasks involved in the activity.
“Every moment has its charm. Winter, which is the most difficult time to understand that it can have charm, is a time of rest. I think I wouldn’t appreciate spring as much if winter wasn’t there. The grape harvest is a special time, but it is also a time of great stress and activity. Autumn is perhaps the time of greatest enjoyment, the vineyard becomes divine. In the winery in a slightly calmer phase, not as intense as the harvest. Every productive moment has its charm,” shares Ana Viola.
Certifications and awards
Upon receiving the Women in Wine & Spirits Award, and as president of the Chamber of Exporting Wineries of Patagonia, Ana takes the opportunity to continue defending the work of producing families throughout Patagonia.
“Today we have a very big threat, which is that two international companies, a Chilean company, Concha y Toro, and an American company, Patagonia Inc., are systematically registering, in all places where they can, the Patagonia brand. in class 33, the wine class. The purpose is to use it as a trademark, not as an indication of origin. This means making wine anywhere and misleading the consumer to make them believe that it is produced in Patagonia, knowing perfectly well that Patagonia is a region of Argentina and that it is a place where wines are produced,” explains the businesswoman about the litigation situation. with foreign companies.
In relation to production techniques, the winery strives to improve working conditions and the environment. Following sustainability practices where more is contributed to the earth than what is taken out is another objective. In this sense, the company obtained sustainability protocol certification.
“In the winery we have different types of certifications, those related to environmental sustainability. They are those that have to do with measuring the carbon footprint. The certification of the sustainability protocol of the Argentine winery, the organic certification for a part of the vineyard. We also have a certified organic wine and vegan certification. Wine is fermented grape juice, so it should not be necessary to clarify that the wine is vegan. But in the manufacturing process, products that are derived from animals are sometimes used, for example, egg white. Our wines are free of any product of animal origin and that is why they have vegan certification,” specifies Ana Viola.
The participation of women in the wine universe has been increasing recently. More and more winemakers, agronomists, managers and jobs are occupied by women in the wine industry. Although at the Malma winery, the decisions and strategies carried out are the responsibility of the entire family, Ana Viola’s job consists, neither more nor less, in making those plans concrete. She is about carrying out everything planned, in addition to representing the producing families of all of Patagonia. Congratulations to Ana.
Photos from this interview: courtesy
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