Top 100 wines of Brazil - Page 3
Discover the top 100 best wines of Brazil as well as the best winemakers in the region. Explore the varietals of the wines that are popular of Brazil and the best vintages to taste in this region.
Discovering the wine region of Brazil
With about 83,000 hectares of Vineyard">Vineyards, it ranks just behind its close neighbours, Argentina and Chile, in terms of cultivated area. Only a small portion (about 10%) of these hectares are planted with Vitis vinifera vines, but this large area does not translate into large volumes of quality wine.
Concerted efforts are underway to improve this ratio. Although not yet recognized internationally, the quality of Brazilian wines is increasing year by year.
The best known Brazilian wines are probably the Sparkling white wines. There are a few wines made in the méthode champenoise from Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Many are made in a style similar to Italian spumante.
Although it spans 39 degrees of latitude (5°N to 34°S), this vast country Lies largely outside the "wine belt" (the band of latitude where effective viticulture is traditionally thought possible).
The Southern hemisphere wine belt encircles the globe between 30°S and 45°S, leaving very little room for Brazil to develop its wine growing area.
Thus, the vast majority of Brazilian wine comes from the southernmost regions of Brazil, the Campanha and in particular the Serra Gaucha. The latter is home to the capital of Brazilian sparkling wine, Bento Gonçalves.
Further North, the state of Bahia is home to the arid and flat Vale do São Francisco.
Discover the grape variety: Tannat
Tannat is a red grape variety from Béarn which belongs to the cotoïdes family. Present in several vineyards of France, it occupies nearly 3,000 ha. Its leaves are reddish with tan patches. Its bunches are either of normal size or larger. Its berries have a thin skin and are rounded. Its foliage has a swarthy appearance. This variety must be pruned long because it is vigorous. It likes sandy and gravelly soils. Tannat is often exposed to leafhoppers and mites. It is also somewhat susceptible to grey rot. It has 11 approved clones, including 474, 717 and 794. Once mature, this variety produces acidic, fruity, tannic, acidic and full-bodied wines. Various aromas emerge, notably tobacco, cinnamon and exotic wood. Tannat is rarely used alone. It is combined with iron-servadou to obtain a fruitier taste or with cabernet sauvignon to be more rounded.
Food and wine pairing with a wine of Brazil
wines from the region of Brazil go well with generally quite well with dishes of pork, rich fish (salmon, tuna etc) or vegetarian such as recipes of beef carrots, salmon koulibiac or spinach and goat cheese quiche.
