In recent years, the Brazilian vitiviniculture deserves recognition for the cultivation of grapevines (Vitis vinifera) in the highlands of the State of Santa Catarina (over 900 ms elevation). Due to its distinct climatic and soil characteristics, this region shows a unique terroir, resulting in typical high quality products. Currently, there is little scientific knowledge available for this wine-growing region. Given this situation, this work aimed to characterize the performance of the ‘Cabernet Sauvignon’ cultivar in two vineyards located in the highland region of Santa Catarina - Campo Belo do Sul (27°45’57”S latitude; 50°48’30”W longitude, altitude: 960 m) and Bom Retiro (27°51’47”S latitude; 49°35’54”S longitude, altitude: 940 m) - during the 2007-2008 cycle. At both vineyards, meteorological stations were installed. During the maturation period, grape berries were weekly collected for physic-chemical analysis. The results suggest that the climatic conditions of Bom Retiro (BR) and Campo Belo do Sul (CBS) are favorable for the activity, with photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) more than 800 µmolfotons m -2 s -1 , what is satisfactory for the metabolism of the vine. During the maturation period, the mean of maximum temperatures was 21.9°C (CBS) and 24.5°C (BR), mean temperature 15.6°C (CBS) and 18.4°C (BR), and the means of minimum temperatures were 14.2°C (CBS) and 11.1°C (BR). The precipitation seems to be the most limiting factor, with a total precipitation of 224.6 mm (CBS) and 259.8 mm (BR) during the maturation period. The physic-chemical analysis also demonstrated the high potential of both regions. The analysis detected high values of total soluble solids (BR=19.7 and CBS=21.5°Brix), total anthocyanins (BR=1207 and CBS=1175 mg/L) and total polyphenols (BR=815 and CBS=1257mg gallic acid/100 g of skin). The results strongly suggest that both regions have a high potential to produce fine wines with distinct characteristics.