Antiyal

Beyond Winemaking

In 1996, winemaker Alvaro Espinoza and his family planted two acres of vines around their home in Maipo. In an attempt to fulfill a decades-long dream to make a personal, handcrafted, and instinctively guided wine with the conviction to honestly express the noble soils of the Maipo Valley.

Continue reading

Our tale

Antiyal

Continue reading

In 2003, we planted the “El Escorial” estate in the rocky soils of the Andean foothills with over 25 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenere, Syrah, Petit Verdot, and Garnacha. Our wines come from this land, following a holistic approach, respecting the terroir, and conserving its habitat.

As a small family-owned and operated winery, we have opened the path for another boutique, organic, and low intervention agriculture in a country accustomed to extensive, conventional farming. These values continue to guide our soul, which, in turn, is reflected in our wines.

Every year, we produce around 50,000 bottles representing this privileged valley in specific markets such as France, Germany, the United States, Canada, Brazil, Sweden, and China.

Portfolio

Wines

Blend

One of the first small-batch certified biodynamic reds in Chile, this blend strikes the right balance between the grapes and expresses Maipo Valley's world-class terroir. With Carmenere as the critical component, this wine presents great vitality and harmony. Deep yet delicate, gentle layers of aromas unfold, enhancing subtle spice notes on the palate.

Aging: 10% in egg-shaped concrete tanks for twelve months, 90% in French oak barrels for sixteen to eighteen months

Grapes: Carmenere, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah.

Carmenere

A Carmenere like no other!

All of the fruit comes from our estate’s best block, Block 7. (Planted in 2003). The grapes are hand-picked and gently fermented with only the naturally occurring yeast. To bring you the pure and most honest expression of this emblematic variety and the noble volcanic soils of the Maipo Mountain, we age this wine exclusively in egg-shaped concrete tanks.

Aging: Cement egg-shaped tanks for twelve months

Grape: Carmenere

Blend

The moon, just like the sun, has a deep relationship with organic and biological energies. Ancient farmers knew this and followed its natural rhythms to work the land for thousands of years without chemical additions. Kuyen, Mapuche for "moon," is our tribute to these wise people and their ancient methods, forgotten by conventional agriculture.

This high-voltage red has great fruit expression with notes of earth and spice on the finish. An enticing complexity refreshes the palate sip after sip and has excellent potential for cellaring.

Aging: 100% in French oak barrels for twelve months (1/3 new, 1/3 second use, 1/3 third use)

Grapes: Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Carmenere, Petit Verdot.

Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the most important grapes in Chile, especially in the Maipo Valley. The grape has adapted very well to the climate and historically brings great prestige to the wines created from it. 100% Cabernet, this approachable red was cultivated using Biodynamic practices to express its unique character and excellent balance. A lively palate shows ripe berries, pepper notes, and velvety tannins. Drink now and often!

Aging: 100% in French oak barrels for ten months

Grape: Cabernet Sauvignon

After being rediscovered in 1994, the Carmenere winemaking process needed to be redesigned to express the distinct character of this decades-long misunderstood grape. Alvaro Espinoza was lucky to be involved in this new winemaking process during his previous position at Carmen Vineyards. Now, after more than 25 years, we believe we have achieved mastery of this humble variety through our Pura Fe! A wine with great expression, but at the same time light, fresh, elegant, and easy to enjoy.

Aging: 100% in French oak barrels for ten months

Grape: Carmenere

This blend is inspired by one of our favorite regions, the Rhone Valley in France. Our goal was to achieve that complexity while also expressing our Maipo terroir. Our Garnacha vines grow in alluvial basalt rocks, once part of the Inca River, creating layers of aromatics, hints of fresh fruit, and floral notes. With approximately 30% Syrah added, the wine is lifted with dark berry notes and a medium body structure.

Aging: 100% in French oak barrels for ten months

Grapes: Garnacha and Syrah

Press

Our wines come from our family estate in Alto Maipo. All certified organic by Ecocert and Biodynamic by Demeter

After graduating with a degree from the University of Bordeaux, Alvaro returned to his home country to become the head winemaker at Carmen Vineyards. There he refined his craft of red wines in the Maipo Valley and helped produce some of Chile’s first Carmenere bottles in 1994.

He later spent one season in California’s Mendocino County at Fetzer Vineyards, where he defined his vision for biodynamics. At this time, California was already one of the world’s top producers and pioneers in organic farming. It was here that Alvaro met Alan York, an international consultant and promoter of holistic agriculture; he later helped in the design of Antiyal.

In 1996, Alvaro and his wife Marina planted a little more than one acre of Cabernet Sauvignon in Huelquen, giving birth to one of Chile’s first biodynamic vineyards, releasing their first vintage in 1998.

His life-long contribution to Chilean wine has named him among the World's Thirty Most Influential Winemakers by a publication of the British magazine Decanter in 2015

Currently, Alvaro consults for other wineries in Chile and Argentina and is the head-winemaker of Antiyal. His wines always seek a true expression of the place, withbrightness and balance.

Press Articles

Philosophy

Biodynamics

We chose this approach because it provides a more authentic expression of the individuality of this terroir. In Biodynamics, we minimize the external agricultural input. We want to create a clean and healthy environment for the plants, bring the soil back to its natural state and express its unique conditions in the wines.

 

We see the Earth as a living entity and, to keep it fertile, we must keep it alive! We do this by stimulating the microbiology with biodynamic preparations, which consist of various medicinal flowers fermented in specific containers and cow dung preparations. These processes generate an exponential growth of microbes on substrates, both in quantity and diversification. These are then applied to the soil and plants at specific times of the agricultural year (lunar calendar), increasing levels of microbiology, organic matter and facilitating the relationship between nutrients and roots.

In Biodynamics, we treat the vineyard as an individual organism and respect the natural rhythms of nature. We seek the growth and diversification of biology and organize our various agricultural tasks following the lunar calendar and the cosmos' movements in their relationship with the soil's biological processes. All this goes hand in hand with our understanding of matter as a manifestation of subtle and invisible energies. We seek to equip our wines with these energies; they are living wines that transform every time you approach the glass!

Services

Visit Us

  • Tours
  • Tasting with the winemaker
  • Picnic at the vineyards
  • Events
  • Weddings
See Location

Let`s Talk

Contact

Get in touch with us and we will
respond as soon as possible.

Buy directly from us through What's App.

Follow us on Instagram!