The Olivier family started Viña Mayu in 2005 and was the first to bring premium winemaking to northern Chile’s Elqui Valley. They chose the name "Mayu" - the Inca word for the Milky Way's "river of stars" – to honor the valley’s renown for having the world’s clearest atmosphere and being the best place on earth for astronomy research. The focus of Mayu winery is only the production of Premium wines originated in the Elqui Valley, with unique style and personality.

The inspiration for Mayu was to transform the extreme landscape to its full potential and produce premium wines from an otherwise overlooked terroir. Vineyards range from altitudes of 1800 to 3300 feet above sea level. Soils include granite and gravel-dense clay. Mayu Pedro Ximenez is grown both in the free-form ‘alberello’ style of vines as well as the traditional European ‘parral’ style of trellising. These vines have transitioned from Pisco producers to wine producers and now have much lower yields to increase the quality of the fruit. The grapes are hand harvested and then softly de-stemmed. They are crushed and gently pressed to separate the juice for fermentation and aged on the lees with batonnage.