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Guide to Serra Gaúcha wine region in Brazil

by Amanda Barnes March 29, 2023

Serra Gaúcha is one of the most famous wine regions of Brazil, in the heartland of Rio Grande do Sul and home to the famed Vale dos Vinhedos. The wine region really is the heartland of fine wine in Brazil, with some of the most-prized appellations and best-known wineries as well as the greatest concentration of Brazilian wine production.

The ultimate guide to the Serra Gaucha wine region in Brazil

Terroir facts

Vale dos Vinhedos

Pinto Bandeira

Other sub-regions

Recommended wines for Serra Gaúcha

Serra Gaúcha is home to Brazil’s best-known wineries and is the most-visited wine region in the country. It is through a combination of terroir conditions and the important amount of Italian immigration in the region that has made it the bonafide heartland of Brazilian wine.

Most of Serra Gaúcha’s vineyards benefit from a hilly topography, which naturally allows the heavy rainfall – which can be quite typical in summer – to run off without waterlogging the vineyards. The conditions are quite similar in most sub-regions, with the soils generally being of mixed clay and basalt.

There are many different grape varieties planted in Serra Gaúcha but some of the highlights include Chardonnay, Merlot, and Moscato, as well as the excellent sparkling wines of both traditional and charmat method. Many of the wine styles of the region are influenced by the Italian and Portuguese heritages of the wine families that have settled there.

March 29, 2023 0 comment

Serra da mantiqueira wine region in Brazil

Brazil Features Travel Brazil Wine Region Guides Wine Brazil Wine Guide

A new frontier for Brazilian wine: Serra da Mantiqueira mountain wines

by Amanda Barnes December 27, 2022

written by Amanda Barnes

Two of my ultimate vices, wine and coffee, are rarely produced in the same area but in Brazil’s Serra de Mantiqueira region, coffee plantations and vineyards can be within metres of one another. As can banana trees and grapevines for that matter. This is the new frontier for Brazilian wine — the high-altitude wine regions of Serra da Mantiqueira which spans across Minas Gerais, São Paolo and Rio de Janeiro.

The ultimate guide to the Serra da Mantiqueira wine region

The Mantiqueira mountains, which span 320 km and reach a peak at 2,798 m.a.s.l., have a special mesoclimate that makes a wide range of cultivations possible. This mountainous wine region is not only a haven for wildlife and a mecca for outdoor adventure sports but it is also fast becoming a hub for some of the more interesting wines being produced in Brazil. This is not because of its tropical climate but, in fact, because of its dry, sunny and mild winters.

Winters… Have I lost you? Why mention winters, when surely for wine production it is the hot, wet summer that matters? Up until just a decade ago, that was exactly the problem with these wine regions — the summer and ergo the time for harvesting the grapes was hot and humid, meaning that only early-ripening varieties like Riesling Itálico or those harvested early for sparkling wine could be picked in time before the summer rain set in.

But Serra da Mantiqueira has become renowned today for some of the most exciting red wines in Brazil. This is thanks to the development of the innovative winter harvest technique has been a game-changer for the region. By switching the harvest period from summer to winter, growers are able to take advantage of the spotless blue skies, sunny days and cool nights of the winter months to make wines of character and concentration — creating a boom in quality wines and a real buzz about the potential of this region. It has rapidly changed the shape and reputation of Brazilian wine.

Syrah is undoubtedly the champion of this new wine region for now, although I’ve tasted promising winter harvest Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Sauvignon Blanc and Viognier too. That said, Syrah is the ideal pairing for the rich pork dishes so typical of the Mantiqueira mountains.

December 27, 2022 0 comment

Colheita de Inverno in Brazil, winter wines. guide to Brazilian wine, Brazil wine guide.

Brazil Features Wine Brazil Wine Guide

Brazil’s winter wines & double pruning technique

by Pablo S Fernandez November 24, 2022

written by Pablo S Fernandez

Producers have struggled to make wine in Brazil since the first Portuguese settlers 500 years ago, with the only viable region seen as the very far south of the country — Rio Grande do Sul. However, in recent years, an innovative new technique has enabled producers to make wines across new, and often unexpected, regions. Pablo Fernandez takes a look at the wineries in Brazil using the double pruning system to make ‘winter wines’, or colheita de inverno wines.

While doing his doctorate in Bordeaux, Dr. Murillo de Albuquerque Regina thought the terroir of Bordeaux’s wine regions shared a lot of similarities to his homeland, Minas Gerais. But he knew that the warm, humid summertime climate was quite different and not best suited for quality wine production.

He knew that in the best wine regions of the world, the best conditions before harvesting are sunny days and cold nights, with dry soil. Interestingly, this is exactly how Minas Gerais is in winter — during the months of May, June, and July. Dr Murillo began investigating if it would be possible to change the vine cycle to this time of year, effectively harvesting in winter.

And so he developed the double pruning technique for grape vines. By pruning in January, at the height of summer, you can “fool” the vine, causing it to interrupt its normal cycle and go into dormancy. This trick means the vine instead shifts its cycle to now come into maturation in the winter — when there is less rainfall, more sunny days, and great thermal amplitude. In combination with the altitude of the southeastern plateaus, this helps to achieve optimal maturation and health of the grapes, perfect for the production of wines.

As a result of this technique, which was pioneered less than two decades ago, wine producers across Brazil are looking into a new future of winter wines… ranging from São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais, Espírito Santo, Bahia, Alagoas, Goiás, Distrito Federal, and even to Mato Grosso.

November 24, 2022 0 comment

The Brazil Wine Guide – E book

by Aaron BN June 7, 2021

written by Aaron BN

The Brazil Wine Guide e-book is the most comprehensive Brazil wine book ever published in the English language. Discover all the wine regions of Brazil and learn about Brazilian wine in this in-depth wine and travel book.

The most comprehensive Brazil wine book ever published

Brazilian wine is still under the radar internationally, but won’t be for long! In this detailed Brazil wine book, Amanda Barnes takes readers through the world of Brazilian wine and introduces the Brazilian wineries to know. Covering all the wine regions, from Bahia to Rio Grande do Sul, via Serra da Mantiqueira. This is the ultimate wine book for Brazil and essential reading for adventurous wine lovers!

Part of the award-winning book The South America Wine Guide

The Brazil Wine Guide is part of the comprehensive Latin American wine book which gives an in-depth look into the wine regions, wines and producers of Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Brazil, Bolivia and Peru.

In this landmark wine book, wine writer and South American specialist Amanda Barnes seeks to highlight the great terroirs and regions of South America as well as delving into the lesser-known and emerging regions. It is a invaluable resource with hard-to-find information essential for WSET, MS and Sommelier students, as well as those in the trade who like to keep abreast of what’s going on.

Prices are displayed in British £ Sterling but will be charged to your card in your local currency. Available for international shipping and downloads.

Kindle version available on Amazon

What the press say about The Brazil Wine Guide and book

“Amanda is a fount of knowledge on South American wine.”

Jancis Robinson OBE MW, jancisrobinson.com

“Blink and you miss what’s happening in the turbo-charged wine industries of South America. Amanda Barnes doesn’t blink. Her authority is based on ten years submersion in some of the fastest-moving sources of good wine on earth; essential information, beautifully presented.”

Hugh Johnson OBE

“Amanda Barnes knows her stuff — and makes a brilliant guide to the intoxicating world of South American wine. This is as comprehensive, detailed, evocative and up-to-date a guide to South America and its wines as you’re likely to find. You can tell it’s written by someone who lives and loves this region — she brings people and places to life with tender familiarity and vibrant detail, yet with the added perspective that an interested, involved outsider can bring to bear. It’s as dense, profound and vivid as the Brazilian rainforest!”

Peter Richards MW

“Amanda’s excitement about the wines of South America is contagious and she champions these countries that deserve a place at the international fine wine table. Not only is this a comprehensive dive into the continent’s wines but she’s gone above and beyond by giving us all a travel guide to seeing these beautiful places in person.”

Chris Tanghe MS, Director GuildSomm

June 7, 2021 0 comment

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