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Article:	Royal visit to Emiliana's organic vineyards
Author:	Vinedos Emiliana
Date:	02/04/2009
Royal visit to Emiliana's organic vineyards
The Prince of Wales and his wife, the Duchess of Cornwall, lent significant support to organic production and organic agriculture in general through a meeting with Chile’s industry leaders.  Viñedos Emiliana was selected to host the visit because it is the national and world leader in producing wines made from organically and biodynamically grown grapes.  During the visit, Viñedos Emiliana General Manager Rafael Guilisasti personally received Their Royal Highnesses and showed them part of the 1200 hectares of certified organic and biodynamic vines. He also invited them to taste a selection of the winery’s finest wines and other organic products.  The Duchess of Cornwall participated in a private tasting in her honor. Lucía San Cruz and Patricia Walker also attended. At the end of the visit they and Prince Charles received a gift box made of sustainable wood that contained bottles of G and Coyam wines and an assortment of organic teas, dried, fruits, creams, and other items from the producers who attended the meeting. Santiago, March 10 – His Royal Highness, the Prince of Wales, and his wife, the Duchess of Cornwall, engaged in a 1-hour visit to one of Viñedos Emiliana’s three estates in the Casablanca Valley and met with a number of organic producers and members of the organic agriculture industry. Rafael Guilisasti, General Manager of Viñedos Emiliana, hosted the royal visit and joined his brother, José Guilisasti, the company’s Agricultural Manager, led the couple on a tour of the company’s 1200 hectares of certified vineyards that, along with other factors, make Emiliana the world leader in organic and biodynamic production. The visit was part of the Prince’s official schedule during his trip to Chile, which has placed particular emphasis on issues of ecology and climate change. The Prince and Duchess consider the support and promotion of sustainable development for the entire planet to be one of their fundamental initiatives, and as such they were interested in visiting Emiliana, the leader in the national market in biodynamic agriculture and organic production. During the visit, the Duchess of Cornwall, who is widely known as an enthusiast of wines made from organically grown grapes, tasted wines from Emiliana’s four lines: Adobe Carmenere, Novas Winemaker’s Selection Chardonnay Viognier Marsanne, Novas Sauvignon Blanc, Novas Syrah de Casablanca, Coyam, and the house icon wine, the award-winning G. Ms. Lucía Santa Cruz and Patricia Walker also attended. The Pince of Wales had a private meeting with some of the country’s leading organic producers to exchange their views on the development and importance of organic agriculture in Chile and the world. Industry representatives who participated in this open conversation included the representatives of Chile’s most important companies with organic production such as Olave (olive oil), Greenvic (fresh fruit for export), Surfrut (dried fruits), Bioinvest (vegetables), Cambiaso Hermanos (organic herbal teas), Coesam (rose hip products), Index Salus (organic tea), and Hortifrut (berries). Following the meeting with Their Royal Highnesses, Rafael and José Guilisasti personally presented them with a gift box made of sustainably grown wood that contained bottles of G and Coyam wines and an assortment of organic teas, dried, fruits, creams, and other items from the producers who attended the meeting. Rafael and José Guilisasti, along with Miguel Elissalt, President of the Organic Association of Chile, then responded to questions from the press and revealed certain details of the conversation with the royal couple. Viñedos Emiliana was chosen to host the meeting with the Prince of Wales and his wife as a result of the company’s visionary work that has led them to raise the production of wines from organic grapes to a higher level The company currently has 600 hectares of Swiss IMO-certified organic vineyards and another 600 hectares that are in the process of certification. Emiliana’s annual 4 million-liter production of wine from organically grown grapes not only stands out in terms of volume, but in quality as well. Emiliana wines successfully compete against conventionally made products in numerous categories and have earned significant scores such as 93 points for G and 91 points for Coyam in the prestigious wine publication Wine Spectator. The winery has consistently achieved distinctions across all their product lines, while maintaining the highest standards of organic and biodynamic agricultural production and successfully complying with the requirements of their ISO 14001 environmental certification.