Green and Mean...ingful

The 39-year old winemaker began his working life as an agricultural engineer but it wasn't long before he turned his attention to winemaking.

Bravo heads up Vinedos Emiliana, an impressive organic/biodynamic winegrowing project centred in Chile's Colchagua Valley. The privately run winery is owned by the Guilisasti family whose empire includes the likes of Chilean wine giant Concha y Toro. But Emiliana, which first opened in 1986, is a very different project. It is all natural.

Chile has all the necessary elements to farm naturally. Surrounded by the Andes to the east and the Pacific to the west, the long, narrow, remote country has a benign climate perfectly suited to organic farming. At Emiliana, the progressive conversion of its estate vineyards to producing organic grapes began in the mid-1990s. Of the 1,230 hectares under vine in Maipo, Colchagua, Casablanca, Bío-Bío, Cachapoal and Limarí, 594 hectares enjoy official organic and biodynamic certification. The remaining 636 hectares are transitioning to full organic status at a rate of 200 hectares a year. Collectively, Emiliana operates the single largest source of estate-grown organic wines in the world.

Bravo works closely with the highly respected consulting enologist Alvaro Espinoza. Espinoza's long resume includes the original Nativa project at Carmen and his exceptional home-based, biodynamic label: Antiyal. Espinoza, considered a global visionary and one of the world's leading authorities on organic, biodynamic and eco-balanced wines, has clearly inspired Bravo to reach for the moon.

Consumers can look for several labels under the Emiliana brand including Etnico, Adobe, Novas, Coyam and Gé, all by the way, are certified by the respected IMO institute in Switzerland. The Swiss certification process is intense, and expensive, but at Emiliana the aim is to taken seriously, so they have reached out to the Swiss to make sure no corners are cut.

Every wine is made with organically grown grapes and in some cases bio-dynamically grown grapes, the latter perhaps the highest expression of naturally produced fruit. Biodynamic agriculture follows the tenets of organic farming, using manures and composts and shunning the use of artificial chemicals. But unique to biodynamics is the use of fermented herbal and mineral preparations, and the use of an astronomical calendar that determines when the sowing and planting takes place.

Last week I caught up with Bravo and tasted several delicious offerings paired with some amazing dishes at Voya Restaurant in the Loden Hotel, surely the most underrated restaurant in the city today. Here is what I found.

I love the fresh clean, bright, fruity, tasty flavours of the organic Emiliana Adobe Sauvignon Blanc Reserva Orgánico 2009. Look for an enticing nose of citrus fruits and grapefruit. Similar flavours mark the palate with refreshing acidity and a crisp finish. Really, what more can you ask for the price? There is great value here that should terrify most of New Zealand.

Emiliana Adobe Chardonnay Reserva Orgánico 2008, from Casablanca, opens with big grapefruit, green apple skin and a floral, pear nose with some butter in the background. The style is crisp and elegant with a touch of sweetness, but balanced with green apple, baked pear, grapefruit, grassy, melon flavours. Simple but elegant and fresh with good texture. Solid value here for consumers as a sipper or with food.

The Emiliana Etnico Reserva Limited Edition 2007 is grown at the home Colchagua site. The wine is a blend of organically grown shiraz-merlot-mourvèdre-malbec. The palate is dry, fresh and round with light tannins and sappy cassis, cedar, coffee, peppery, clove flavours. The finish is warm with some youthful tannins. A solid wine for barbecued beef .

There's no mistaking the leafy spicy carmenère in the Emiliana Novas Carmenère Cabernet Sauvignon 2005, but the blend is quite alive and fresh after spending nine months in both French and American oak. Look for a juicy spicy red that is not only organic but attractive. Serve with grilled meats. Again fair value.

The Emiliana Adobe Syrah Reserva Orgánico 2007 has been impressive from its first release and the latest '07 is no exception. Look for smoky blue and black fruits with peppery, spicy, mineral, notes on the nose and in the mouth. The palate is slippery with a lush, dense weight and New World syrah finish. Great value here in a wine made from organically grown grapes.

Finally, one half of the biodynamic flagship wine is the affordable Emiliana Coyam 2006 -- a delicious, organic ode to Bordeaux and Rhone. The nose is immediately appealing with its warm cassis and black fruit aromas. The palate is generous, mixing dense black cherry and coffee mocha flavours with a savoury, spicy finish. The organic grapes come off the 150-hectare Los Robles vineyard surrounded by oak trees. (Coyam in the native dialect.) The latest blend is a 34/31/17/12/3/2/mix of syrah, merlot, carmenère, cabernet sauvignon, malbec and mourvèdre aged 14 months in 80-per-cent French oak barrels. Excellent quality in what is a good vintage.

Valle de Casablanca, Chile

Price: $13.50

UPC: 007804320306322

Score: 87/100

Remarks: There is great value here that should terrify most of New Zealand.

EMILIANA ADOBE CHARDONNAY RESERVA ORGANICO 2008,

Valle de Casablanca, Chile

Price: $15

UPC: 7804320150628

Score: 86/100

Remarks: Simple, elegant and fresh with good texture. Solid value here.

EMILIANA ETNICO RESERVA SHIRAZ-MERLOT-MOURVEDRE-MALBEC 2007,

Valle del Colchagua, Chile

Price: $13.50

UPC: 7804320365954

Score: 85/100

Remarks: Dry, fresh, round palate with light tannins. Best with medium-rare beef.

EMILIANA NOVAS CARMENERE CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2005,

Valle del Colchagua, Valle del Rapel, Chile

Price: $17

UPC: 7804320081335

Score: 87/100

Remarks: A juicy, spicy red that is not only organic, but attractive. Serve with grilled meats.

EMILIANA ADOBE SYRAH RESERVA ORGANICO 2007,

Valle del Colchagua,Valle del Rapel, Chile

Price: $15

UPC: 7804320198521

Score: 88/100

Remarks: Great value here in a wine made from organically grown grapes.

EMILIANA COYAM 2006, VALLE DEL COLCHAGUA,

Valle del Rapel, Chile

Price: $32

UPC: 7804320081496

Score: 90/100

Remarks: A great mix of syrah, merlot, carmenère, cabernet sauvignon, malbec and mourvèdre.