The Wine Explorers: Brazil

In the latest episode to appear on db, December 2014 saw the Wine Explorers land in Brazil to see what vinous delights it had to offer.

We are only a few hours away from Rio de Janeiro, its frenzied beaches and electrical atmosphere. Yet, it is to discover a wine industry undergoing a revolution that we are in Brazil. Here the production of quality wine – although promised to have a bright future – just turns 25!

It is in the south of the country, in Serra Gaucha, that we have an appointment to visit the country’s largest producing region (1), where the vine was introduced by the Jesuits in 1626 (2). Arriving by bus from Montevideo, we were expected in Porto Alegre by Joana Monteiro, a team member of Schenker Do Brasil, who accompanied us to discover the Brazilian vineyards.

A young viticulture to be taken (very) seriously

No sooner than we arrived in Bento Gonçalves, the capital of viticulture, we were invited to lunch by the team of Wines of Brasil for a brief lesson of history and the opportunity to enjoy a delicious Churrasco (3). The round of servers, with their meat dishes one more appetising than the other, was relentless. What a wonderful welcome!

We learned that Brazil is the fifth largest wine producer in the southern hemisphere and has been cultivating vines since the beginning of its colonisation. However, it was only with the opening of the market to imports in the early 90s – which allowed consumers to realise what was considered as “good” wine on an international level – that Brazil began to turn to serious quality. “Without prior references to other wines of the world, it was difficult for Brazilian wine producers to know how their wines compared in the global market place and to pull their quality of production upwards”, one said.

The Vale dos Vinhedos, an air of Tuscany

Our program of visits were largely concentrated in the Vale dos Vinhedos, the first Geographical Indication recognised in Brazil since 2002.

The landscape is of a wild and naive beauty and is curiously reminiscent of Tuscany – the region from which many Italian immigrants came from. Here we were facing steep hills. A fragmented topography with small hills culminating to 700 meters where vines are mostly planted on the hillside, requiring arigorous manual labor.

It was late December and can one could feel the excitement of the harvest which was to begin soon. (4)

Perini

The Vale Trentino, 1 hour east of here, is also a region with great potential, where wineries like Perini, bordered by vast wilderness and forests, take production forward.

World-class sparkling wines

The conclusion is clear, the Brazilian bubble is a fine wine. And we feasted with it! Whether made from the traditional or Charmat method (5) (more industrial, but able to give very nice results, like at Chandon for example), we were amazed by the consistency and the freshness of Brazilian sparkling wines. With a promising future, they are today at the center of attention.  Just at Casa Valduga, no less than 12 effervescent wines are produced in the range!

Heart stroke for Cave Geisse, a beautiful estate in the heights of Pinto Bandeira, that produces exceptional bubbles, on volcanic and basaltic soils of the Jurassic. Daniel Geisse, the winemaker, is a perfectionist. You can judge for yourself : average aging between 2 to 5 years (going up to 15 years for magnums!), a maximum of 30-days stock, disgorging every day, traditional riddling and manual harvest in cases of 3 to 5 kg. When you realize that the winery stocks 600,000 bottles in the cellar while it produces only 200,000 per year…we are speaking about world class bubbles.

Our Brazilian heart strokes in sparkling wines:
–Extra Brut 2011 from Cave Geisse  (50% Pinot Noir, 50% Chardonnay ; 3 years on lees)
–Gran Nature 2009 from Casa Valduga (70% Chardonnay, 30% Pinot Noir ; 5 years on lees)
–Safra Nature 2009 from Cave Geisse (50% Pinot Noir, 50% Chardonnay ; 5 years on lees)
–Brut 2011 from Miolo (50% Pinot Noir, 50% Chardonnay ; 18 months on lees)
–Excellence Prestige Rosé NM from Chandon (20% Chardonnay, 80% Pinot Noir, Charmat method, 3 years old based wine ; 12 months on lees)
–José “Bepi” Salton Nature NM from Salton (50% Pinot Noir, 50% Chardonnay ; 4 years on lees)

Aurora, the wine cooperative with a thousand winegrowers

Located in the centre of Bento Gonzalvez, the Aurora wine cooperative – which represents 10% of the Brazilian wine production – is a tremendous economic lever that preserves the rural history of the region. Established in 1931 with 16 farmers, the cooperative  now has over 1,100 families of winegrowers, all shareholders and spread over 3,000 hectares of vineyards. Each winemaker is a co-owner of the entity. Buying grapes thus depend on sugar levels rather than mass, in order to encourage families to focus more on quality. Brillant.

Our heart strokes in Brazilian still wines:
–Grande Vindimia Merlot 2008 from Lidio Carraro (100% Merlot)
–Raizes Corte 2010 from Casa Valduga (40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Cabernet Franc, 20% Tannat)
–Sesmarias 2011 from Miolo (Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz, Tannat, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot)
–Talento 2009 from Salton (40% Cabernet  Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 10% Tannat)
–Merlot Reserva 2011 from Pizzato (100% Merlot)
–Pinto Bandeira Pinot noir 2013 from Aurora (100% Pinot Noir)
–Quatro 2009 from Perini (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Tannat, Ancelota)

Wine tourism, the charming asset

Brazil has it all, oenotourism is everywhere! In a world where overproduction and competition are raging, the key to success and recognition begins with a strong (and positive) image. Otherwise, any new wine – however good it may be – can never receive the recognition it deserves.
Already at Casa Valduga, Maria Valduga, the caring grandmother, was a pioneer in terms of wine tourism in Brazil : she loved offering dinner to every passing visitor.

Today Brazilian estates compete for creativity and tourism initiatives, as at Miolo with the “Winemaker’s project”, where wine lovers come five times a year to learn how to make wine and leave with ten cases of it with their own label. At Saltonwe enjoyed an unforgettable visit of the “Cave da Evolução” on lantern  8 meters deep underground and amid religious songs that captivated us. At Don Giovanni, the seven-bedroom hotel has no television and no internet, to fully recharge your vitality and to better learn to live in the community.

At Lidio Carraro, one of the wines from the estate was chosen in 2014 as the official wine of the FIFA World Cup in Brazil. A friendly hand to a winery that began in 1998, the year of the famous 3-0 for France against Brazil. A sweet memory, which already seems far away.

Miolo

With our harts heart full of emotions and discoveries, we finished our stay with a brief passage in São Paulo for an interview with the national channel Globo. We stayed with our friend Janaina Costa Pereira and her family. The moment was touching because it was the first time they invited strangers home. All their family and friends made the trip to dine with us. Despite the language barrier, we spent a wonderful time where grilled meat, caipirinha and laughs punctuated the evening until dawn.

WineExplorers’cheers,
JBA

Thank you to Casa Valduga, Miolo, Lidio Carraro, Aurora, Cave Geisse, Salton, Perini, Peterlongo, Pizzato, Don Giovanniand Chandon estates for their warm welcome ; to Joana Monteiro for having accompanied us, to Wines of Brazil for the great organization of our stay in Brazil and for the planning of visits and tastings ; to Schenker Do Brazil for their support and time, to Janaina Costa Pereira and her family for their extraordinary welcome and accommodation in São Paulo despite the language barrier ; to Vino e Arte and Barbarella Bakery for these beautiful tastings in Porto Alegre.

⁽¹⁾ In addition of Serra Gaucha and Campanha regions in the South, the state of Bahia, far north, defeated the laws of nature in terms of wine production, only 1,050 km from the equator, in the Vale do Sao Francisco (9° parallel South) .
⁽²⁾ The first vines were brought to Brazil by the Portuguese Martim Afonso de Souza in 1532, with an agricultural foremost goal. It was only in 1551 that the first Brazilian wine was made. But it was not until 1626 that the industry really started, spurred by the Jesuits (for religious celebrations).
⁽³⁾ Churrasco : Brazilian barbecue
⁽⁴⁾ Harvests in Brazil are from the end of December to early January for sparkling wines, early February for white wines and from late February to early March for red wines.
⁽⁵⁾ The Charmat method forces the second fermentation to happen in a large stainless steel tank prior to bottling, rather than in the bottle like the traditional méthode champenoise. The Charmat method is a cheaper means for pushing a wine through second fermentation and is best used on sparkling wines that are meant to be consumed young and relatively fresh. 

For more information on Brazilian wines : http://www.winesofbrasil.com.