About the Andes Encounter

Part of a new generation of young, innovative winemakers causing a stir in the industry, David first discovered his passion for wine working in his father´s vineyard. Born in Mendoza, Argentina, to a family of Italian immigrants with winemaking heritage, David explains: “The relationship with wine, in our family, was always our livelihood.” As his enthusiasm for the wine world grew he decided to study a degree in Winemaking at Don Bosco University and Juan Agustín Maza University. Since then, David´s wines at Bodega Norton have been awarded more than 95 points, recognized by critics as among the best in the world. And in 2017, Decanter magazine included David in its list of the Top 10 Best Winemakers in South America.

Adrián Meyer was born in Clorinda, Formosa, in 1973, and three years later he moved to Mendoza. His interest in viticulture started during his youth, and it grew stronger once he got his diploma with specialization in winemaking from Agriculture and Enology High School. He went on to study agronomy at the University of Cuyo. Once he got his degree, Adrián formally joined the industry when he started working in a small wine company in Santa Rosa, east of Mendoza, where he devoted two years to implanting and developing vineyards. In 2001, Adrián travelled to France to do an international master’s degree in viticulture and winemaking in Montpellier. During those two years, he was able to learn innovative techniques, but, above all, he could consolidate his knowledge of terroirs and ways of interpreting wine.
In 2004, he joined Terrazas de los Andes as Assistant Winemaker. Three years later, thanks to his effort and qualifications, Adrián became the Head Winemaker, holding that position until the end of 2016. Now, Adrián proudly works amongst the Alta Vista winemaking team.

Aurelio Montes del Campo was born in Santiago, Chile. He completed his high-school education at The Newland School, a bilingual school in Chile. In 1994, he went to university to study Agronomy at Universidad Católica de Chile, where he also completed an advanced undergraduate course in winemaking. He graduated from college cum laude in 1999.

Early in his career as a winemaker, Aurelio travelled around the world to see the main wine-making regions. He gained extensive knowledge of and valuable experience in winery management and winemaking practices. He returned to Chile in 2001 and joined Viña Ventisquero as an assistant to Winemaker, Felipe Tosso.

In 2007, he was invited to join Montes’ winemaking team as Winemaking Director. He worked at the Apalta winery, where Montes’ iconic and Alpha Premium wines are made. During those years, he created new wines and studied Montes’ terroir as part of a special 4-year project carried out with Pedro Parra, a world expert in this field.

In 2011, Aurelio temporarily moved with his family to Mendoza, Argentina, to help lead Montes’ winery in Argentina: Kaiken. He turned Kaiken into a symbol of high-quality in Argentina’s wine industry.

In 2016, Aurelio returned to Chile with his family to take on the role of Montes’ Chief Winemaker. Today, Aurelio has taken up the role of Montes’ Chief Winemaker. He is in charge of Montes’ whole oenological team and acts as an advisor to Kaiken’s oenological team as well.