During mostly all of 2007 I had an enriching and unforgettable experience: a Trip Around the Wine World.
My choice to spend a good part of that year traveling and experiencing viniculture, occurred soon after my exams in the WSET (Wine and Spirit Education Trust), while I lived in London. I realized that I had already a good foundation, but there was still a world to be discovered and, nothing better to do it ‘in situ’.
What follows in the coming reports and pictures is exactly what is includes in my previous blog http://wineworld.spaces.live.com
The idea of bringing the reports to new space is mainly to keep the information in only one place.I have not done any changes to the original posts, because I believe that every experience has its particular moment. Perhaps, today I would have other opinion on some issues, but what I reproduce here belongs to that time.
In this Part 1 report my experience in Brazil, where I was born.
NATIVE SURPRISES
After coming back home from the gray cold old Great-Britain, where I found out that wine was "my way", I was surprised for not finding back in Brazil the very same sort of things I used to – included wine.
There was something new, or that would be my perception? Perhaps, but the increase in wine offer is a fact that you can confirm on trip to the supermarket.
A large contribution is from foreign wines and another great parcel came from the national wines, either continue being an expensive option for the economic standard of the majority of Brazilian population and, it loses to national preference: beer, which suits very much in hot days! However, they have being more popular, mainly between food lovers, as an important match. Many had been my surprises in this 'rediscovery' of the Brazilian wine, which showed me I never really discovered it before.
HOW EVERYTHING STARTED
The first Brazilian wine was produced in São Paulo, in Tatuapé in 1551. There were planted the grapevines that Brás Cubas tried to grow, without success, in the South-East coast. In the half of century XVI, Portugueses had planted grapevines in places as Bahia and Pernambuco and Jesuit missionaries in Rio Grande Do Sul. The renaissance of the vineyards in the South was when Azoreans immigrants arrived from 1732 and, another important reference is the Englishman Thomas Messier, who in 1814 planted, in Brazil, grapevines of the famous grape Isabel (Vitis Labrusca) which resulted to be well adapted in the Tropical field, hard to rise for Vitis Viniferas from Europe. The arrival of the European immigrants to the south is in fact the most significant contribution in the history of the Brazilian wine. First they had been the Portuguese (1860), later the Frenchmen (1865). But they had been the Italians, heirs of a tradition of more than 2 a thousand years of experience that, after 1875, the culture of the grape started to have importance.
HOW EVERYTHING CONTINUED
Until years 60, it did not have big changes nor stimulations in quality terms. The market was little accustomed to consume wine and did not demand many attentions. This motivated the Secretariat of Agriculture of the Rio Grande Do Sul to initiate a campaign called "Plants Viniferas", with the objective to substitute the American grapes for the European ones and, obviously, to improve the general level of the Brazilian products. After the success of the initiative, in the 80´s, other campaigns had appeared to increase the consumption of the national wines with an interesting result. In addition, many wineries had developed the technology and the attentions in the culture; with the use of techniques and equipment equalized to those used in the Europe and U.S.A.; combined with improvement of knowledge of those involved in the process. In November of 2002, the first Indication of Origin was given - previous Process to the Denomination of Origin - to the region of Vale dos Vinhedos (Valley of the Vineyards); to Bento Gonçalves - Rio Grande Do Sul; first and for the time being only demarcated region of wines in Brazil.
THIS HISTORY STILL HAS NOT FINISHED YET
There are Vineyards in many regions in Brazilian, included the warm northeast, however the Rio Grande Do Sul still has the majority of the wineries and withholds the biggest level of production in the country.
I relate here a little about the chance I had to try from the three important regions of production: Vale dos Vinhedos, Campanha Gaucha and Vale do San Francisco.
The growth of the industry of the Brazilian wine is visibly noticed and there are good expectations with it.
Vale de San Francisco location is in the northeast geographic macro-region of Brazil, between the States of the Bahia and Pernambuco, have vineyards located between 9° and 10° of South latitude - the lowest latitudes in grape growing of wine in the world. It is located in plain areas on the typical landscape of the Caatinga and has irrigation using water of the river San Francisco. The region has a Sub-Tropical climate and has a dry period and a sub-humid period over the year around. This characteristic is unique in the world-wide grape growing. Where the possibility exists that the grapevine produces during the 12 months of the year, the climate, known in the scientific way as climate with intra-annual variability, presents three different periods to the long one of the year:
1) June to September, that is called winter, is the dry period, without rains, with low temperatures at night and mild during the day;
2) October to April and May to December, which are a dry period, without rains, with high temperatures during the day and mild at the night;
3) January to March, is the sub-humid period, with rains and high temperatures, day and night time.
Campanha Gaucha is located next in the border of Uruguay, 31° of South latitude. With typical landscape of Pampas Gaucho - formed for Coxilhas landscape, it is a region that traditionally was used for ranching, predominantly cattle and sheep. It has around of 300 meters of altitude and grape growing located in Coxilhas of low declivity, facilitating the mechanization of the vineyards. The sandstone ground has excellent draining and average fertility. Region of sub-humid tempering climate, possessing relatively hot and dry summers in relation to the climatic standard of the Rio Grande Do Sul, the vineyards are not irrigated.
Vale dos Vinhedos is located in the South geographic macro-region of Brazil, in northeast Superior Encosta of the State of the Rio Grande Do Sul, known as Gaucho Mountains. Situated 29° of South latitude, between 450 and 650 meters of altitude, with grape growing located normally in the half hillside of the valleys of the mountain range, to the left edge of the River das Antas, in a typical landscape of the region. The vineyards are established in areas of average declivities, however, in certain cases, remembering conditions of mountain grape growing. The region has a tempered climate with mild humid summers. The vineyards are not irrigated and the soil has geologic formation of basalt. The majority of the old vines are planted in the Latada system. In this way, the plant grows parallel with the ground. They have been replaced by the Espaldeira system, which the plant if raises supported for a wire and allows more sun exposition to the berries. The Valley counts on an association of producers, APROVALE that manages the certification.
I took advantage that I was in Brazil to taste wine from the regions above, from where you can easily find a bottle from US$5. The price is low if compared to the imported ones, however it still is very high for the Brazilian consumer, which pay a high tax to consume alcoholic beverages. Another form that I used to learn a little more about the national production was a recent visit to the Vale dos Vinhedos, where the FENAVINHO fair was taking place at that time.
FENAVINHO is a popular annual event in Bento Gonçalves. It has commercial, educative programming and also it is a space of entertainment with presentations and shows. The fair represents what the region has became in the last years, a national grape growing site with a strong tourist approach. In the following day my I visited two vinicolas in the Valley. Although the properties are very different from each other, they are both good examples as the wine business is managed in Brazil.
CASA VALDUGA
The Valduga family manages the business very close. It is easy to find a member of family in almost anywhere there (restaurant, inn, winery) - that is synonymous of success and quality, as well as its wines. The guided visit happens every our on the weekends and it does not demand anticipated booking. We started the visit for the 'historical vineyard' that has as objective to be an educative experience presenting some cast of grape present in the vineyards of the Valduga, with the advantage of being able to taste the fruit straight from the vine. Our guide was kind and patiently answered to all our doubts - from how the crafting is made until the new business plan for Mendoza, Argentina. We visited the old installations, where the fermentation of the wines used to be in Grápia wood barrels; that was used as alternative for the oak, however of substantially inferior quality. In the installations currently in use, the technology and modernity are the prominence and, they contribute for the preservation of the characteristics of the grapes. The establishment is proud of the standard that reached, with products for a select consumer, who does not mind to spend a little for a higher quality wine. This is one of the reasons for which is rare to find Valduga wines in the supermarket shelves. Its wines are excellent, with prominence for the blend "Riesling and Chardonnay" and, the sparkling wine "Gran Reserve" - traditional method. They have a good structure for the visitation and shop. The service is good and the only thing missing was paper material with information. The engagement of the people involved is clear.
VINÍCOLA MIOLO
The only similarities that the visit to the Miolo had in comparison to the previous one were that both are familiar companies and, that they had searched the modernization aiming at the improvement in the quality of its products.
Miolo has a high level of skilled labour on its business, as well as an ambitious way to manage it. The Vineyard has productive units in Vale dos Vinhedos and Vale de Sao Francisco, and also in another locality of the Gaucho Mountains as well in Campos de Cima da Serra. Also they keep partnerships with companies of Chile and Spain for distribution of products. The localities have good products in all where it produces and, its production northeastern has been focus of attention. In the Vale do Sao Francisco the varieties Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Muscatel are planted. In the region of the Vale dos Vinhedos de varieties are Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. In the Campanha Gaucha unit can be found Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, Tempranillo, Tannat and Cabernet Sauvignon.
The wines are good in general and I bought I bottle myself using a voucher given with the visit ticket, which we had the full amount paid as discount in the store, which is convenient when the it costs more than you are willing to pay for it.
Cheers,
Marcia Amaral