Top 100 wines of Brazil - Page 4
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: Vermentino
The vermentino grape variety was widespread in Italy, Sardinia and Corsica. Today, Vermentino is grown in the regions bordering the Mediterranean, mainly in Provence (Côtes de Provence, Bellet), Corsica (Corse Calvi), Languedoc (Côtes du Roussillon, Costières de Nîmes) and the Rhône Valley (Côtes du Luberon). Because it ripens late, Vermentino requires a warm climate for its development and can only be grown in regions with good sun exposure. Conversely, cold or temperate climates do not allow it to ripen properly. Vermentino is only susceptible to powdery mildew. When vinified on its own, Vermentino produces a single-variety dry white wine that is light and full-bodied with a pale yellow color. It can also be blended with other grape varieties such as Ugni Blanc, Cinsault and Grenache, in which case its low acidity makes it light and fresh. Vermentino belongs to the grape varieties of Ajaccio, Corsica and Corbières. The aromas released by this variety are multiple. One can detect notes of fresh apple, green almond, sweet spices, hawthorn, ripe pear and fresh pineapple.
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 filet mignon in a crust, skate wings with capers or quiche without pastry, courgette and blue cheese.
