The Two Spaniards & the Ancestral Force

The guiding philosophy of Fuerza Natural is expressed in three words: terroir, austerity, and clay. Fernando and Elías are committed to winemaking that expresses each vineyard distinctly — not through oak, technology, or additives, but through the most non-invasive vessels ever devised: clay amphorae and tinajas. Their approach is deliberately austere: manual harvest, early in the morning to preserve freshness; spontaneous fermentation with indigenous yeasts; short macerations to avoid extraction; and ageing entirely in clay. The result is a portfolio that is typified by purity, freshness, and authenticity — wines that are as precise as they are ancient, as mineral as they are alive.

The methodology is deliberately minimal and fundamentally terroir-driven. The harvest is carried out manually and early, with the aim of preserving the freshness of the fruit. In the production of their wines, they try to respect the unique characteristics of the place and the grape variety, adopting an austere and minimal-intervention approach. To achieve this, they use non-invasive deposits: ancient Chilean clay amphorae (greda) and centuries-old clay jars (tinajas) imported from Villarrobledo, Castilla-La Mancha. These containers allow the wines to evolve naturally, preserving the purity and authenticity of the centenarian dry-farmed vines and the terroir of Itata and Maule. The tinajas from Villarrobledo are particularly special — the clay is so pure that the vessels require no internal coating or resin, unlike amphorae from other regions. The micro-oxygenation is gentle and constant, keeping the wine at a stable temperature and protecting its most essential character.

The fermentations are spontaneous, with short macerations, allowing the development of fresh, complex, and authentic wines. For the Semillón, the grapes ferment and age entirely in clay, with the skins contributing citrus and herbal notes that define the wine's character. For the Cinsault, the short maceration preserves the variety's fine expression and aromatic concentration — raspberry, white pepper, and the nervy freshness that comes from proximity to the sea. For the Carignan, the clay vessel allows the depth and power of the Maule granitic soils to express themselves without the masking effect of wood, producing a wine of pomegranate, maqui berry, and elevated acidity. No sulfur is added during fermentation; only a minimal amount at bottling if necessary.

The cellar is not a technological facility; it is a clay sanctuary — a space where ancient Chilean greda amphorae sit alongside Spanish tinajas that have crossed the Atlantic to find their purpose in the New World. There is no stainless steel, no oak barrels, no temperature control, no pumps, and no corrective enzymes. There is only the clay, the grapes, the indigenous yeasts, and the patience to let each wine take the time it needs. The result is a portfolio of wines that are honest, precise, and alive — wines that have earned a place on the wine lists of discerning restaurants and shops from Santiago to Paris. As one writer noted, the Cinsault shows a subtle smoked reductive note, waxy red fruit, raspberry and bacon fat — a complexity that speaks to the power of clay and the purity of the vineyard.

To understand Fuerza Natural, one must understand that it is not merely a winery; it is a philosophy of terroir — a project built on the belief that the best wines are those that allow the land to speak for itself, like an ancestral force that flows from the depths of the soil to the essence of the grape. The identity of the project is defined by the three vineyards — El Lagar, Los Guindos, and Millavoro — each one a collaboration with a farmer who has kept ancient vines alive through decades of neglect. The identity is also defined by the 100% clay commitment: no oak, no stainless steel, no technological intervention. Only ancient Chilean greda and centuries-old tinajas from Villarrobledo, Castilla-La Mancha — vessels that have been used for winemaking since before the Roman Empire. The estate is not a monoculture; it is a triptych of terroir. The result is a portfolio of wines that are not merely products but expressions of a place, a people, and a purpose — each bottle a testament to the conviction that wine should be honest, terroir-driven, and deeply respectful of the land that produced it.

The identity is also defined by the relationship with producers — the understanding that Fuerza Natural is, above all, the force of the vineyards and the people who maintain and care for them so that they reflect the essence of each site. Fernando and Elías cultivate these links so that their wines speak of those places and those people. Together, they carry out viticulture on the level of sustainability to ensure both the permanence of the vineyards themselves, located in sensitive areas, and their own expression. This is why they only work with animals, since any other form of work is impossible on the steep granitic hills, and they limit treatments only to essential prevention. The project is, in essence, a partnership between two Spanish winemakers and three Chilean farming families, united by a common respect for the ancestral force of the vine.

The identity is also defined by refusal — the refusal to irrigate, the refusal to use synthetic chemicals, the refusal to employ mechanical traction on steep slopes, the refusal to use oak or stainless steel, the refusal to add sulfur during fermentation, and the refusal to treat wine as a commodity rather than an agricultural and cultural product. Fernando and Elías have kept their range deliberately small — only three wines — resisting the pressure to expand into international varieties or heavy, extracted styles. They have moved from conventional winemaking knowledge to a minimal-intervention philosophy. But they have never abandoned the traditions that make Itata and Maule what they are: the ancient Semillón, the nervy Cinsault, and the powerful Carignan. The wines reflect this intentionality: they are not radical, not rustic, not naive. They are precise, traditional, and deeply considered — the product of decades of global experience and a shared love of Chilean granite converging on three centenarian vineyards.

The future of Fuerza Natural is tied to the continued health of the three ancient vineyards, the deepening of relationships with Leonardo Ruiz and Salvador Castillo, and the gradual expansion of Fernando's own Millavoro plot. Fernando and Elías are eager to continue — to explore new expressions of the Guarilihue and Huerta de Maule terroirs, to deepen their understanding of the mosaic of granite and basalt, and to obtain ever more precise, elegant, and terroir-driven expressions from the fruit of their partner farmers' ancient vines. The Semillón will continue to be the Pacific ambassador, the Cinsault the granite nerve, and the Carignan the inland power. They do not chase trends; they chase the truth of their land, and they have the patience to let that truth speak in its own voice — a voice that is Itata-born, Maule-rooted, Spanish-guided, and unmistakably Fuerza Natural.

In an age of increasing industrialisation in wine — of global varieties, engineered yeasts, and corporate consolidation — Fuerza Natural stands as a compelling alternative, not because it rejects modernity but because it has embraced a deeper modernity: one that values organic farming over chemical convenience, animal traction over mechanical efficiency, dry-farming over irrigation, centenarian own-rooted vines over young grafted plantations, indigenous yeasts over inoculation, clay amphorae over oak or steel, short macerations over heavy extraction, minimal sulfur over heavy dosing, farmer collaboration over land ownership, and the specific voice of Itata and Maule's granitic soils over the standardised replication of a global style. Fernando Almeda and Elías López Montero are not merely making wine; they are proving that two Spaniards can become the voice of Chile's oldest vines, that three vineyards can produce wines of international recognition, that a wine raised entirely in clay can possess the most profound identity, and that the simplest philosophy — let the terroir speak for itself, like an ancestral force — is often the most profound. From the first vintage in 2018 to the wines of today: all united in one collaboration, one synthesis, one unanswerable argument for the possibility of authentic, organic, hand-made, passionately honest wine from the clay and granite heart of Chile.