Maipo Valley, Chile

Antiyal

In 1996, winemaker Alvaro Espinoza and his family started Antiyal, trying to fulfill a family dream that existed for decades. This dream was a deep desire to make personal, handcrafted, instinctively-guided wines with the conviction to express the noble soils of Alto del Maipo.

The project started with 2 acres planted at the foothills of the Andes in the town of Alto Jahuel in Alto de Maipo. "Antiyal" is a Mapuche word that means "sons of the sun," in honor of Alvaro's use of the cosmos in his biodynamic practice.

His conversion to biodynamic farming in 1998 propelled him to the top of winemaking in Chile, and his successes have secured his place as one of the foremost authorities on expressing the potential and importance of the terroir in the Southern Hemisphere. The Biodynamic approach was chosen in order to provide a more authentic expression of the individuality of each terroir. External agricultural input is minimized in order to create a clean and healthy environment for the plants, to bring the soil back to its natural state and express its unique conditions in the wines. Today the farm counts 20 hectares, with 12 hectares of vineyards in production and the remaining with other plants to promote biodiversity. The farm is organized as a closed (integrated) system of production with minimal inputs, aiming to respect the pure character of the place.