The Vale do São Francisco ("Valley of Saint Francis") is a river valley in the state of Bahia, eastern Brazil. The most remarkable thing about the valley as a wine region is its equatorial latitude, just 9°S. This places it only 1000 kilometers (625 miles) South of the Equator, and 2400km (1500 miles) North of Brazil's core winelands in Rio Grande do Sul. The Climate here is classified as semi-arid tropical.
It is hot and Dry, with just 600 millimeters (24 inches) of rain per year.
At first glance, the Vale do São Francisco seems to entirely disprove the idea of the "wine belt", the band of latitudes in which effective viniculture is thought practicable. In the southern hemisphere, the wine belt encircles the globe between 30°S and 45°S. But in fact it is more of an exception that proves the rule; the Vines are entirely reliant on irrigation from the São Francisco River, and their productivity cycles are dependent on human intervention rather than natural seasonal influences.
It can hardly be said that this is a "natural" place to grow Grapes and make wine.
The grapes grown in this tropical environment are rarely, if ever, of fine-wine quality. But what they lack in quality they make up for in quantity; many vineyards here produce two annual vintages rather than one. Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon lead the red wine grape varieties, and Muscat is also cultivated here, often to make Sparkling wines.
Starting with the 2021 vintage, non-late harvest Alsace Riesling must be ‘dry’, as defined by EU regulations, according to a proposed decree agreed by a two-thirds majority of the Alsace Winegrowers’ Association (AVA). Winemakers backed the plan at a vote in Colmar last week, although it requires approval from France’s appellation body, INAO. The move comes in addition to the introduction of a standardised way of communicating sweetness levels on Alsace AOC still wines. As per EU rul ...
By 1965, the vineyards of Condrieu had largely been abandoned – phylloxera and two world wars had decimated the place and its people. There were just 8ha of vines remaining on these granite slopes. If it weren’t for the hard work of a few steadfast vignerons, the appellation might have disappeared entirely, reclaimed by the forest. Thankfully, Condrieu survived and has since flourished – but great appellations have been lost before. We know this because some have recently been rediscovered. In f ...
San Luis Obispo Coast was awarded on 9 March, 2022 by the US Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau. The new AVA establishes a 97 kilometer-long strip along California that locals call SLO (slow) Coast, describing the Pacific Ocean’s influence on the area’s culture and lifestyle, terrain, and wines. SLO Coast is located midway between two major California cities, San Francisco and Los Angeles, with Burgundy varieties making up a majority of San Luis Obispo Coast’s high-end wine pr ...
