NR4 & NR5 - The Winemakers

Leo, Chilean, and Zjos, Belgian, made central-south Chile their home, with the Andes to the west and the Pacific to the east of their family home and bodega in Cobquecura, 500km south of Santiago de Chile. 

Just like the old vines Moscatel, País and Cinsault they cultivate, their story is one of resistence, persistence and survival. Their bodega is built from scratch on a hill in Cobquecura, overlooking the Pacific and surrounded by eucalyptus forests. 

They lost a large part of their vines to devastating forest fires in 2023. Despite this hardship, they continue to believe that Itata's old vines are a treasure to be preserved, and they are slowly restating and repairing the old vineyards. They are also working the vast area of land around their bodega into a natural preserve, looking to maintain endangered species. 

Leo has made wines in South Africa, Argentina and now his home country, and is an expert in soils. With Itata being among the most soil-diverse wine regions in the world, it is no wonder his wines are pure expressions of terroir. 

Zjos & Leo make wines with hardly any intervention. The bodega is mainly man-powered (including the large basket press) and juice and wines move by gravity. 

They have four little ones, two dogs, a bunch of chickens and two horses - a big beautifully diverse family continuing and building on the winemaking tradition of Itata, Chile.