Vina Emiliana To Go 100% Into Organic Wine Production

Chilean winery Vina Emiliana announced last week that it will double its organic wine production this coming year.  The winery currently produces 250,000 cases of organic wine each year and aims to produce over 450,000 cases by 2011. 

The expansion is part of Emiliana’s plan to become Chile’s first completely organic winery by 2011.

“We already have a strong and healthy image and we hope to develop this further to become a leader in green projects,” director Jose Guilisasti told the local press.  

Emiliana already has a strong reputation for environmental work and was last month granted a carbon neutral certificate by wine industry leaders. The award recognizes efforts made by the winery to remove carbon dioxide emissions from its winemaking facilities.   

The Emiliana winery launched its organic line in 1998 and now dedicates 80 percent of its property to the production of organic wine. The company holds over 1,550 hectares of vines across five different valleys in central Chile, including the Maipo Valley in Santiago’s metropolitan region (VII). 

Emiliana exports globally to over forty countries. The company’s products sell in the U.S. under the brand name Walnut Crest, which is among the ten most popular imported brands in the U.S. market. 

The company is owned by Chilean multi-national Concha y Toro wines, Latin America’s largest wine producer. A 2008 report by British consultancy firm Intangible Business ranked Concha y Toro as the world’s third most powerful wine brand.