As Brazil is getting a lot of attention right now it may be appropriate to point out that there are actually quite a lot of good wines in this big country. It is perhaps not the first country that comes to mind when you think of wines from South America. But Brazil is rapidly becoming known internationally as a serious wine country and exports have grown dramatically in recent years.

Brazil is a big country. There is tropical heat in the north but down in the south, on the border with Uruguay and at 600 meters (2000 ft) altitude, the climate is well suited to viticulture.

Much of the Brazilian production is still simple wines. These are made from American grapes and sold locally, often in 5-liter carboys. But ambitious producers are now making more and more wines from European Vitis vinifera grapes. They call these wines Vinhos Finos.

Some producers have completely stopped growing the American vines. Overall, Brazil has today about 80,000 hectares (200,000 acres) of vineyards. Out of these 80,000 hectares between 10,000 ha and 15,000 ha (between 25,000 acres and 37,000 acres) are planted with European grapes.

For most producers, the American grapes are an important part of their production. At Vinhos Mioranza, for example, founder Antônio Alvise Mioranza and his grandson Diego make 7 million litres (1.85 million US gallon) of vinho de mesa (table wine) from American grapes and 100 000 litres (26 400 US gallon) of Vinhos Finos. They are not ashamed of their table wines. The grapes are Isabel, Niagara, and Bordo and for this category, says Diego, the wines have a good quality.

In São Paolo it is 25 degrees Celsius (77 F) in August (and that’s the winter), down to Bento Gonçalves it is 10 C (almost 20 F) cooler. Bento Gonçalves is the main town in the wine region of Vale dos Vinhedos, 2 hours’ flight south from São Paolo. Here the vines grow at between 600 and 800 meters (between 2000 ft and 2600 ft) altitude in an undulating landscape that stays green more or less all year round. There is never any lack of rain in the Vale dos Vinhedos. They have around 1300 millimetre (51 in) per year (that is quite a lot in a wine region), well spread out over the year. Fortunately, most of the vines grow on well-drained slopes.

The climate is mild, without any excesses. The average annual temperature is 17.6 degrees Celsius (63.7 F). Average winter temperature is 12.9 degrees C (55.2 F) and average summer temperature is 22 C (71.6 F). As a comparison, the average temperature in Bordeaux in July is 20 degrees Celsius (68 F). Frost in spring can occur, but it is rare.

It is here, around the city of Bento Gonçalves, that the history of Brazilian wines began. In 1875 Italian immigrants arrived here, most of them from Veneto and Trentino in Italy. Accustomed as they were to grow and to drink wine, they didn’t hesitate long before they started cutting down forest and plant vines. Soon, wine was an important economic activity in the region.

Some of the first wines they made were sparkling. And sparkling wines are now an important part of the production of many of the Brazilian wine producers. Often the “charmat” method is used which means a second fermentation in tank (as opposed to in bottle as in e.g. Champagne). Some of the wines are made with a long ageing on the lees in the tank which gives the wines a good, toasty complexity.

The unpretentious sparkling wine called Moscatel Espumante is made in large quantities. The grapes are Moscato Branco and they often come from the tropical Vale do São Francisco in northern Brazil, almost on the equator. Here, the grapes are harvested twice a year. The wines are easy drinking aperitif wines with some residual sweetness, low alcohol and floral and caramel aromas.

Wine producers in Brazil are dynamic and very much looking at the export market. They have worked well because exports have increased dramatically in recent years. Many of them are very good at receiving tourists and wine lovers. Some also have hotels and restaurants.

Source: www.forbes.com