Wine making in Brazil
Vineyards in the
Vale dos Vinhedos
, in the state of
Rio Grande do Sul
Brazil
is the third-largest producer of wine in
South America
, behind
Argentina
and
Chile
; production in 2018 was 3.1 million hectolitres (82,000,000 US gal), slightly more than
New Zealand
. In 2019, Brazil was the 15th largest wine producer in the world.
[1]
A substantial area is devoted to
viticulture
: 82,000 hectares (200,000 acres) in 2018,
[1]
though much of it produces
table grapes
rather than wine grapes.
Better quality wines (
Brazilian Portuguese
:
vinho fino
) are produced from the European grapevine
Vitis vinifera
, and in 2003 only some 5,000 ha (12,000 acres) were planted with such vines.
[2]
The rest are American vines or hybrid vines, many of which are easier to cultivate under Brazilian growing conditions.
Climate and geography
[
edit
]
Wine from Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
Brazil stretches from the equator to the subtropics, and its enormous size and topographic variation mean that
climate
varies widely.
Most of the wine production of Brazil is concentrated in the temperate south of the country, 90% of which is produced in the state of
Rio Grande do Sul
alone.
[3]
The state boasts 4 different wine regions, which span between the
28th
and
34th parallel south
, similar to other wine-producing regions in
Argentina
,
Chile
,
South Africa
and
Australia
. The oldest and most important wine-producing region is
Serra Gaucha
("Gaucho Highlands"), especially celebrated for its sparkling wine. The others are Campanha, in the
pampas
region bordering
Uruguay
and Argentina,
Serra do Sudeste
and
Campos de Cima da Serra
. Smaller-scale viticulture also takes place in the neighbouring state of
Santa Catarina
.
While wine grapes are traditionally thought of as unsuitable for hot climates,
[4]
winemaking
has been successful in
Sao Francisco Valley
in
Pernambuco
, which has a
hot semi-arid
climate. It is notable for being able to produce two crops of grapes each year.
[5]
[6]
History
[
edit
]
Several less successful attempts at introducing European vines into Brazil were made during the centuries. The first vines were brought to Brazil by the Portuguese in 1532, who planted them in the state
Sao Paulo
.
Jesuits
brought Spanish vines to Rio Grande do Sul in 1626, and 18th century settlers from the
Azores
brought vine cuttings from
Madeira
and the Azores. In 1840, plantations of
Isabella
(a cultivar of the species
Vitis labrusca
) on the south coast of Rio Grande are considered the first successful vine plantations in Brazil. By the late 1870s, winemaking was more definitely established and had taken hold in Serra Gaucha, where Italian immigrants did much of the vine-growing, and mostly American vines were produced. Some Italian varieties and
Tannat
were later added.
[2]
Brazilian wine for sale in a supermarket in
Parana
Wine production with higher quality ambitions started in the 1970s, when several international wine companies such as
Moet & Chandon
[7]
invested in Brazil in the 1970s and brought in know-how and modern equipment.
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
"2019 Statistical Report on World Vitiviniculture"
(PDF)
.
International Organisation of Vine and Wine
. 2019.
Archived
(PDF)
from the original on 2021-02-06
. Retrieved
2021-03-07
.
- ^
a
b
Jancis Robinson
, ed. (2006).
"Brazil"
.
Oxford Companion to Wine
(Third ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. pp.
102?103
.
ISBN
0-19-860990-6
.
- ^
"Vitivinicultura brasileira: panorama 2019"
(PDF)
. Retrieved
2024-04-05
.
- ^
Possingham, John; Henschke, Paul; Smart, Richard (2015-11-19),
"tropical viticulture"
,
The Oxford Companion to Wine
, Oxford University Press,
doi
:
10.1093/acref/9780198705383.001.0001
,
ISBN
978-0-19-870538-3
, retrieved
2021-03-30
- ^
Fensterseifer, Jaime Evaldo (2006-07-06).
"The emerging Brazilian wine industry: challenges and prospects for the Serra Gaucha wine cluster"
(PDF)
.
Academy of Wine Business Research
.
Archived
(PDF)
from the original on 2019-08-10
. Retrieved
2021-03-07
.
- ^
Wurz, Douglas Andre; Bem, Betina Pereira de; Allebrandt, Ricardo; Bonin, Bruno; Dalmolin, Luiz Gabriel; Canossa, Adrielen Tamiris; Rufato, Leo; Kretzschmar, Aike Anneliese (2017).
"New wine-growing regions of Brazil and their importance in the evolution of Brazilian wine"
.
BIO Web of Conferences
.
9
: 01025.
doi
:
10.1051/bioconf/20170901025
.
ISSN
2117-4458
.
- ^
Reporter, Contributing (May 11, 2011).
"Brazilian Winemakers Ready for the Season"
.
See also
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]
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South America
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