The Winery Monte Vecchio of Santa Catarina

Discovering the wine region of Santa Catarina

Santa Catarina is a state in the far South of Brazil. Quality wine production is still in its early stages, but is likely to develop rapidly as the industry develops country wide. To date, Santa Catarina's production is a mix of red, white and Sparkling wines. It Lies immediately North of the country's southernmost state (and most prolific wine region), Rio Grande do Sul.

Located between the latitudes of 26°S and 29°S, Santa Catarina is far from the most obvious of locations for winegrowing. It lies entirely outside the 'wine belt' (the band of latitudes in which effective viniculture is traditionally thought possible). In the southern hemisphere, the wine belt encircles the globe between 30°S and 45°S. It is on the high-lying plateau, the Planalto Catarinense, that almost all of Santa Catarina's vineyards are located.

The main wine-producing zones are in the central-southern portion of the state, around the towns of Sao Joaquim, Campos Novos and Cacador. Altitude plays a key role in the Terroir here, particularly in keeping temperatures down. The plateau ranges between 915m and 1400m (3000ft and 4600ft). Basalt soils feature strongly in some parts of the planalto and are credited with bringing complexity to the wines.