LWGandM
Emiliana was on our list as we wanted to learn more about the only organic certified winery in Chile. Stopped on our way to Valparaiso from Santiago (very convenient).Chose the premium tour which included five wines and four cheese flavors with crackers. Wines: Novas Gran Reserva Sauvignon Blanc 2014, Novas Gran Reserva Chardonnay 2014, Gran Reserva Granacha Syrah 2012, the Coyam red blend, and 2011 Gé, a biodynamic blend of Carmenere, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon.For us (wine geeks wanting to spend time tasting and discussing each wine) we were wisked off for the tour part too quickly. Diego, one of the guides said he'd take care of us after the tour.One of the winemakers gave us a tour of the vineyards, explaining how companion plants and flowers are incorporated between vine rows to attract beneficial insects and ladybugs. This part was intensely interesting- I could go on (but you should make a trip if you are even remotely interested!). With questions this was about 20-30 minutes.Returning to the tasting room, Diego brought our wines and cheese back and also poured the Signos de Origin 2014 Chardonnay, Viognier, Marsanne, Rousanne blend, and Signos 2011 Carmenere- both were fermented in "the egg", a new process for us but becoming more popular. Finally the 2013 Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc. Being able to taste these additional three wines really rounded out the tasting. A huge kudos to Diego and the winemaker (didn't catch her name). This was one of the most educational tastings on our Chile wine adventure! Highly recommend Emiliana. Also beautiful grounds with chickens roaming happily and alpaca (soft pads on their feet prevent compaction of the soil).
TCWChile
This vineyard is set in the beautiful Casablanca valley. The wine tour lasted for about an hour and included a tasting. All of the staff were very friendly and I found the information about the organic Management of the vineyard very interesting.
wouters460
We took the pick nick (includes nice bread, cheese, nuts and fruit, bottle of water and a bottle of wine) on the terrace in the vineyard. Really nice except that they forgot to bring us the wine, so that in the end we drunk only water (!) and had to take the bottle of wine home.After this disappointing start, we had an amazing 2 hours tour in the vineyard with Silvia. Very knowledgeable person and interested in answering our many questions. Very patient with our children who were easily distracted by the fauna (acalpa, chickens, cows, horses) and flora in the place. Wine tasting of 4 wines (9,000 CLP pp) is excellent value for the money. Very recommended vineyard. One of the best you can visit in the Casablanca Valley.
AnnetMetselaar
Do you want something different than the usual tour? Go visit this organic vineyard...even with children. An easy and relaxing walk, with a pond, chicken, alpacas and many more. A vineyard that helps it´s employee during off season...Tour is about half an hour, depending on your questions, guides do have time for you!!Backpackers: this is an easy accessible vineyard. Entrance of this vineyard is at highway 68. If your are on your way to Valparaiso from busstation Alameda, metro station Universidad Santiago, ask driver to stop at busstop "La Vinilla". If you´re traveling with luggage, while making a reservation ask them to pick you up from the busstop, www.emiliana.cl/contact-us, otherwise it is 10 min. dirt road walk. At the same busstop you continue your journey to Valparaiso. Recommending the tasting with cheese...it is worth it!!! Have fun !!
OldFinn0914
It was an amazing tour of the vineyards. I worked as environmental professional for more than 40 years, and I loved the idea of sustainable and organic production. I also grew up on the farm, so using chicken and guinea fowl for natural insect control was wonderful. Composting and recycling as a part of normal operation of a vineyard was the exception rather than the rule in our visits to South American vineyards. I also especially liked the organic garden plots for employees. It's worth the drive from Valparaiso or Santiago.
Traveller_Green037
Go! The tour with the chickens and Alpacas is wonderful. One can realize that we are one world in a small ecosystem while enjoying the fine wine. No where can you actually say black gold and an alpaca in a sentence, and it makes sense, except here. Just make sure you get the wine with some cheese... we felt sort of cheated as some tables (other tours had it...) I would have paid!
iamtommi
Emiliana is a must go if you are into wine. Great and interesting conception of organic production, very good wines and fantastic and friendly staff!
fizzy8521
This would have been a very interesting tour if it wasn't so long. There were too many people and three languages spoken. By the time he got to English, our "explanation" was short and rushed. We left the tour half way through and waited under the shade till the tasting. Once again during the tasting the English speaking translation drew the short straw and we did not get the description that the others had. I did not care for the wines as much as my friends did but I believe part of that was due to the size and length of the tour.
Martaleena
We just returned from visiting Argentina and Chile for two weeks, and did a fair number of tours during that time. This was an absolute standout, not just for a vineyard tour, but for any category of tour at all! The grounds are beautiful, and their growing practices make this organic, non-GMO, farm-to-table-minded girl very happy, but what really made our visit to Emiliana special was Diego. His knowledge of the vineyard was superb, and his passion for agriculture and wine was plain to see. We were completely absorbed from start to finish, he was just the most compelling and lovely guide. As others have mentioned, it was a nice change of pace to have the cheese pairing with the wines (and they all paired beautifully). We would have purchased more bottles on the spot if not for pesky US customs limits! It's worth noting that we did email in advance and make a reservation -- it's not required that you do this, but I would highly recommend it (and, really, it's a good idea with any tour, isn't it?) Overall, a fantastic day that we will recommend to anyone visiting the area! Thanks Emiliana!
FlyBoyAA
A superb, informative and entirely delightful afternoon with a knowledgeable and dedicated guide. Their incorporation of "bio-mechanics" was fascinating, integrating every component of the vineyards into its role. Plant, chicken, alpaca and dung varieties all intentionally cooperating with moon phases......who knew?
KierstinHorn
We live in Santiago and have visited a lot of vineyards in the Casablanca and Maipu area. Although you always get a bit different experience, they're usually quite similar. This tour was excellent change. Rather than focusing on wine production, our guide, Diego, showed us the lovely grounds and explained the biodynamic process. It was fascinating. The wine was also delicious, especially the Voignier, which is not a commonly found grape in Chile. Wonderful experience!
meltzersusan
I have done a number of tours of vineyards, but Emiliana will always stand out as one of the best. I learned a lot about organic wine-making, which differentiated this tour from any other. The setting is beautiful and needless to say, the wine was wonderful. I would recommend this to any and every one visiting Chile.
babystepper
This winery tour is a bit different vs. most in Chile - it focuses on the vineyard, not on the winemaking equipment. Emiliana is one of the pioneers of organic vineyard management in Chile, and the tour is a great introduction to their Casablanca site. Most of the winemaking is actually in a different region (they have vineyards in Maipo and Colchagua at least). Modern tasting/sales facility is beautiful. Fun to see the llamas and hear how they help in the vineyards! Also they have created a whole community with their workers, including garden space, fund for medical expenses (Chile has no/little national healthcare apparently) in part from olive oil produced on property, etc.Check ahead for times of English language tours. We paid extra to try the top-end "Ge" wine, you could have just one person in your group do so as it is simply one additional taste at the end of the standard tasting (although you do get cheese, which the standard doesn't include). Most (all?) of the wines are available in the US, so no need to lug a bunch home.
alexandraF959
We loved this beautiful winery on our tour with "Chilean Wings Travel " and our guide. The organic production of these wines is extremely interesting, the setting beautiful and the tasting was very informative and included matching cheeses or chocolate! The perfect matches for each wine, which was a great touch. We both loved this experience.
aliceann1
Chile is known for their fine wines and our trip to this country would not have been complete without at least one trip to a winery. We managed to go to several, but Emiliana Organic Vineyards stands out for us. Not only for the excellent wines which we sampled, but because of how much we learned about wine-making and the extraordinary measures which the Vineyard goes to in order to produce a truly ecologically respectful and organic product. The winery is on a beautiful piece of land and the wine production is complemented by a solid understanding of the eco-system. Flowers, trees and animals are all utilized to best preserve the land. Our tasting was generous and our tour guides was exceptional.