“The vineyards produce the fruit, and from that fruit comes extraordinary quality.”

Guilisasti’s visionary and innovative spirit inspired him to demonstrate the importance of integrated management in Emiliana’s vineyards. The company believed in the concept and entrusted him with the finest vineyards in the Casablanca, Maipo, and Rapel Valleys. As a result of this we have become known as “a company that is an authority in vineyards.”

José Guilisasti was one of the founders of the Emiliana Orgánico vinicultural project based on organic and biodynamic agriculture; unique in Chile and a pioneer in Latin America.

We began studying the different valleys 20 years ago because we knew that factors such as soil and climate were more beneficial to some varieties than others. For example, we realized that the maritime influence in the coastal valleys produced a cooling effect that was very beneficial to white wine grapes. The information we gathered allowed us to identify the best areas for each variety. As a result, our vineyards were not planted randomly, but rather were designed for maximum varietal expression by accommodating the varieties that would best develop and flourish in the specific conditions of that particular valley.

Today Viñedos Emiliana practices localized agriculture. Because geological conditions can vary substantially within a single vineyard, we carefully study the soil types in each area in order to decide which variety to plant. Thus we have found that Merlot and Carmenère grow well in Colchagua, while Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc is strong in Casablanca .

We also began working with lesser known varieties as far back as 1991. Today we are releasing new wines made from grapes such as Syrah and Merlot, which were previously unavailable in Chile and are less oriented toward mass consumption.

Our strong presence in the different valleys is due to our desire to achieve our greatest objective: to reach the maximum expression in our wines, to make unique wines with a clear identity that faithfully expresses the qualities of each terroir.

Viñedos Emiliana is relentless in its aim to produce healthy grapes with the least amount of pesticide possible in order to protect the health of the vineyard workers, conserve biological diversity, recognize the wisdom of nature’s own regulatory mechanisms, promote long-term soil fertility, and minimize environmental pollution.

The following is an interview with José Guilisasti, who comments on his work at Viñedos Emiliana.

What are Viñedos Emiliana’s current goals, and how will you meet them?

Our idea is to become leaders in the production of high quality wines. We can only reach this goal by making a tremendous commitment to human labor and technological innovation, such as the use of grafted vines, which acts as a vaccination to immunize our vineyards against phylloxera, which is present everywhere in the world except Chile.

This is insurance for us, because our philosophy is based on preventing disease rather than curing it.

What is Viñedos Emiliana’s current emphasis?

We are very focused on varietal wines, which is currently our strong point.

How does Viñedos Emiliana differ from its competitors?

Today Viñedos Emiliana is a leading grape producer and is at Chile’s cutting edge in technology. We have the best grapes grown in the best valleys, a fact that is widely recognized.