New wine-growing regions of Brazil and their importance in the evolution of Brazilian wine

Douglas André Wurz,Ricardo Allebrandt,Bruno Bonin,Leo Rufato,Aike Anneliese Kretzschmar,Luiz Gabriel Dalmolin,Adrielen Tamiris Canossa,Betina Pereira De Bem,Jean-Marie Aurand

doi:10.1051/bioconf/20170901025

Douglas André Wurz, Ricardo Allebrandt + Show 7 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1051/bioconf/20170901025

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Abstract

The objective of this work is to characterize the new Brazilian wine regions, describing their edaphoclimatic and productive characteristics, wine types, and their importance in the evolution of Brazilian wine industry. The Campanha Gaucha is characterized by flat lands, presents a high number of hours of light, and dry summers, guaranteeing a complete maturation of the grapes. Including the locations The Southeastern Region of Rio Grande do Sul presents pronounced ripples, located in altitudes between 400 and 600 m, presenting dry and sunny summers with cold nights, stony soil; Merlot and Cabernet Franc are the outstanding varieties. In the northern plateau of Rio Grande do Sul, at 1000 m a.s.l., the region of Campos de Cima da Serra has a characteristic high solar incidence, and due to the low nocturnal temperatures. The Altitude Region of Santa Catarina State presents similar characteristics to those found in the Campos de Cima da Serra, with vineyards located between 900 and 1400 m, the slow maturation promotes the preservation of acidity and high levels of aromatic compounds, which confer freshness and typical white wines, respectively, especially those made from the Sauvignon Blanc. Located at medium elevations of 900 to 1100 m, the region of Greater Curitiba with hot days and mild nights, stands out for the production of varieties of short to medium cycle, because it presents humid summers favoring the occurrence of diseases fungal infections. The South of Minas Gerais State presents mean altitudes of 800 and 1000 m, in which the technique of double pruning was adopted, leading the grapes maturation to occur during the winter, when a dry season with mild temperatures is found, making it an ideal place to produce high quality Syrah wines. In Sao Paulo State, altitudes between 1,000 and 1,300 m a.s.l. are found, where cool nights and excellent sunshine during the day provide thermal amplitude of 10°C at the time of harvest. Add to this a dry, well-drained and granitic soil, especially for growing Syrah and Viogner. The Sao Francisco River Valley presents flat lands, at an altitude of 400 meters. Located outside the suitable range for growing grapes, this semi-arid region presents low rainfall (less than 500 mm a year) and strong insolation. Its permeable clay soils have proven to be suitable for the acclimatization of grapevines such as Moscatel, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah.

Highlights

The first vines cultivated in Brazil were of European origin and emerged with the arrival of Portuguese colonizers (1532)
In the mid-nineteenth century, Italian immigrants introduced the “Isabel” American grape variety, culminating in the rapid replacement of vine varieties of European varieties, becoming the basis for the development of commercial winemaking in the states of Rio Grande do Sul and Sao Paulo
Consultations were made to the bibliographic collection of the State University of Santa Catarina, as well as consultations in indexed periodicals, with the objective of exploring the following contents: Brazilian winemaking, Brazilian wine evolution, wine producing regions in Brazil, Brazilian winemaking map, campanha gaucha, Southeastern Region, Campos de Cima da Serra, Altitude Regions in Santa Catarina State, Region of Curitiba in Parana State, State of Sao Paulo; South Region of Minas Gerais State and the Sao Francisco Valley in Pernambuco State

Summary

Introduction

The first vines cultivated in Brazil were of European origin and emerged with the arrival of Portuguese colonizers (1532). In the mid-nineteenth century, Italian immigrants introduced the “Isabel” American grape variety, culminating in the rapid replacement of vine varieties of European varieties, becoming the basis for the development of commercial winemaking in the states of Rio Grande do Sul and Sao Paulo. From the beginning of the twentieth century, Sao Paulo viticulture replaced the cultivars of the variety “Isabel” by “Niagara Branca” and “Seibel II”. Since 1875, with the arrival of the Italian immigrants, the winemaking activity is present in the Serra Gaucha, and over the years, production has been improving and reaching quite satisfactory levels of development, transforming the place into a national wine-growing pole [2]. Until the end of the 1950s, Brazilian commercial viticulture was restricted to the three southern states and the eastern regions of Sao Paulo and southern Minas Gerais. Production systems have been modified over the years, depending on market opportunities and requirements [3]

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