When two representatives from Chilean winery Emiliana came to town in October, it coincided with fantastic news. Images of the rescue of the last miner who'd been trapped underground since the Aug. 5 Copiapo mining accident were played out over the giant screens in front of Tokyo Station and, in a nearby hotel, we toasted the occasion with some very special wine.
Coyam 2001 was Emiliana's very first organic vintage; its release marked the start of a process of embracing environmentally friendly practices in the winery that has resulted in it becoming the Republic of Chile's largest organic producer.
"At that time, we were very shy; we decided to put it on the market and we priced it for $10," says Cristian Rodrguez, commercial manager at Emiliana, speaking about the first Coyam vintage. "We entered it in a competition (in 2003) with all the great wines of Chile: It was the first Wines of Chile Awards. We have it now every year but at that time it was the first one.