March 30: There are no changes in the Top three wineries in the World’s Most Admired Wine Brands announced by the English magazine Drinks International, with Torres being on top for the second year, followed by Concha y Toro and Penfolds, with the biggest organic winery in the world Emiliana making an entry for the first time, says Subhash Arora
Familia Torres had missed the Top Slot a couple of years ago but snatched it back last year, making it the leader for the third time in seven years. It continues to be the only Spanish and in fact, the European winery to have enjoyed the Top spot since The Drinks International started the initiative. It is based on a survey of over 100 professionals- Journalists, MWs, Sommeliers and educators, each of whom suggests the top three rankings as the Most Admired Wine Brands of his or her choice based on the analysis of certain criteria like quality, authenticity and presentation. Torres is also a Spanish wine market leader in India for almost a couple of decades and is imported into India by Prestige Wines and Spirits. Concha y Toro is imported by Aspri and Penfolds by Brindco.
Emiliana, selected as the Winery of the year 2015 by Wines of Chile and imported into India by Hema Connoisseurs, makes an entry into the prestigious List at 42nd spot. Emiliana Sauvignon Blanc, 2015 was a Silver Medal winner at the first Indian Wine Awards organised by Cav. Subhash Arora, Sonal Holland MW and Sourish Bhattacharyya at Hotel Sofitel, Mumbai in April 2017.
Coyam label which is not imported into India yet, has won numerous awards besides scoring over 94 points for various vintages from James Suckling for the score conscious connoisseurs. Besides being a very popular wines listed in Retail, Emiliana has been also the darling of Chilean embassy events in India and has Listings in several hotels and restaurants Pan Asia.
When delWine quizzed Amit Agarwal, the owner of Hema Connoisseurs, he said, ‘More than 300 listings in hotels and restaurants in India. Very difficult to keep a track as it is one of the most famous Chilean wines in India, at the moment, if you look at the volumes.’ He believes it is either at Number 2 or Number 1 in volume of Chilean wine imports into India for the last 5 years. He could well be right. One does not hear of many Chilean labels as ubiquitous as this in the Indian market.
Emiliana entry level wines (4 labels of which are imported) retails for Rs. 1500 each in Delhi. The price has seen an increase of about 25% over the past 3-4 years but is still affordable as it is a wine made from certified organic grapes. Agarwal claims it is the biggest organic winery in the world.
Founded in 1986 by the Guilisasti family, the winery grew rapidly over the last three decades. Today it owns more than 800 hectares of certified organic vineyards in 5 of Chile’s most important wine regions out of which they produce around 600,000 cases of organic wine. They are exported to over 60 countries including India where they sell well at the national level. The Guilisastis are one of Chile’s most influential winemaking families. Next to Emiliana Vineyards, they also own Concha y Toro, one of the country’s largest wineries. Many Directors are same in both the wineries.
The List also includes wineries that are represented in India : Errazuriz, Chapoutier, E Guigal, Ch d’Yquem, Campo Viejo, Vega Sicilia, Cloudy Bay, Marques de Riscal, Cono Sur, Trapiche, Tignanello, Georges Duboeuf, B & G, Sassicaia, Jacob’s Creek, Latour, Barefoot, Robert Mondavi, Yellow Tail, Cavit, Antinori, Nederburg, Louis Latour, Peter Lehman, KWV, McGuigan, Oxford Landing etc.
For complete List click here: Top 50 Most Admired Wine Brands in the World
For some of the earlier related Articles, please visit
Torres World’s Most Admired Wine Brand again
Chilean Wine and Food Fest impresses Connoisseurs
The Wine Company inches towards 5-star Prices
Wine Club Dinner: DWC goes Chilean at Hyatt
Subhash Arora
If you Like this article please click on the Like button