Mayu is an ancient Inca name for the Milky Way, literally meaning “creek of stars.” The Olivier family, who started Viña Mayu in 2005 and were the first to bring premium winemaking to northern Chile’s Elqui Valley, chose the name to honor the valley’s renown for having the world’s clearest atmosphere and being the best place on earth for astronomy research. The inspiration for Mayu was to transform the extreme landscape to its full potential and produce premium wines with unique style and personality originating in the Elqui Valley, Chile’s northernmost wine region. Elqui Valley is located about 325 miles north of Santiago, the capital of Chile. It begins at the Pacific Coast and continues on to the high altitudes of the Andes at 4754 m above sea level. Due to this unique orientation, the variance of terroir in the valley is striking, and provides a spectrum of environmental elements that hugely diversify its viticulture. Three distinct microclimates in the valley, temperature extremes, luminosity and diverse soils (that all are rich in minerality, poor in fertility and have excellent drainage,) are the most important elements that influence the quality of the grapes produced in this valley and help sculpt the character and originality of Mayu wines.