Viticulture in Brazil
The viticulture in Brazil covers for the years 2008 and 2009, according to estimates of the OIV a cultivated area of 92,000 hectares . It is the third largest wine-growing region in South America after Argentina and Chile . From a harvest of 600,000 tons of grapes 3 million hectoliters of wine are obtained, the rest is processed into juice. This takes place in five different wine-growing regions , which are mainly located in the temperate zone but are also up to 6,000 kilometers apart.
history
The first attempts to cultivate wine in Brazil began in 1532 with the Portuguese conquest of what is now the state of São Paulo . Not quite 100 years later, Jesuits brought Spanish grape varieties to Rio Grande do Sul in 1626 . In the 18th century, immigrants from the Azores tried to ennoble the stocks with vines from their climatic zone . The planting of Isabella on the south coast of Rio Grande is seen as the first commercially successful cultivation from 1840 .
In terms of acreage and volume produced, Brazil played a rather minor role in international statistics until 2005. Since the mid-1980s, enormous investments have been made in the production of high quality grapes. Starting in 1995, Brazilian wines have received significant awards in international wine competitions; by November 2007 there were 1,600 awards. Brazilian wines won 14% of the medals at the Anuga food fair in 2007 and have since been at world market level.
Growing areas
The main cultivation area with about 54% of the cultivation area is the Vale dos Vinhedos , "the wine valley" in the Serra Gaúcha in the southernmost, i. i.e., it has the greatest distance to the equator , state of Rio Grande do Sul . It is located around the 29th parallel and was founded by Italian immigrants who settled here during the Italian Wars of Independence . Viticulture started here over 100 years ago. As in most of the growing areas, the climate here is also temperate, but the specialty is the sunny summers with sufficient rain. The vineyards are planted on hills (up to 600 meters above sea level ), where the conditions are sometimes reminiscent of viticulture at mountainous heights. The soils consist of basalt rock , which turns into shell limestone , with medium fertility. Gamay , Chardonnay , Cabernet Sauvignon , Sauvignon Blanc , Sémillon , Merlot and Alicante Bouschet are grown and harvested by hand . Riesling , Gewürztraminer , Trebbiano , Glera and many Muscat varieties.
Further cultivation areas are the region on the border with Uruguay , Serra do Sudeste , as well as some areas in the states of Santa Catarina and São Paulo (> 20% of the cultivation area).
A specialty is the wine-growing area in the valley of the Rio São Francisco , which lies at the 8th parallel and is thus the wine-growing area in the world closest to the equator. Wines have been grown there since around 2003. The initial difficulty that grapes did not form due to the dry and hot climate had been resolved. Since then, at least two grape harvests per year have been possible. Grapes are harvested there practically all year round.
export
| country | Export 1st half of 2011 |
|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 17th |
| Colombia | 13.5 |
| Netherlands | 9 |
| United States | 8th |
| Germany | 6.5 |
| Norway | 6th |
| China | 6th |
| Finland | 5 |
| Poland | 4th |
| Canada | 4th |
| Further | 21st |
Well-known foreign investors, mostly large European companies, have invested in new space in the past, especially Davide Campari-Milano , Pernod Ricard (Domecq Bodegas) and Moët & Chandon , with the Chandon Brazil winery.
The Brazilian wine institute "Ibravin" supported a joint stand at the Vinexpo 2011 wine fair . The country expects its wine exports to increase by 90% in 2011. In 2010, wines worth 2.3 million US dollars were exported. Great hopes for increasing the level of awareness are placed in connection with the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympics that are taking place in the country.
Individual evidence
- ↑ German Wine Institute : Statistics 2010/2011 . Mainz 2010 ( PDF ).
- ↑ DWI: Wine Production by Country (1999-2009)
- ^ André Dominé , Armin Faber, Thomas Pothmann: Wine . Könemann Verlagsgesellschaft 2000, ISBN 3-8290-2765-6 , p. 876 .
- ↑ Área cultivada de videiras no Brasil (2006)
- ↑ Wine exports by the Wines of Brasil grows 40% in the first half of 2011 ; Ibravin notification dated August 3, 2011
- ↑ Brazil and its wine regions on Ernesto Pauli
- ↑ www.chandon.com.br
- ↑ Brazilian wines enter ten new markets at Vinexpo; Ibravin notification dated June 28, 2011