Interview:
Carlos Eduardo
Corrêa Nogueira
C
arlos Eduardo Corrêa Nogueira is the
Director for International Affairs of the
Brazilian winery Miolo, one of largest in
the country. In this interview to Flavors from Brazil, Nogueira comments on the quality of Brazilian wine and tells us a little about the successful
history of grape cultivation and the production
of fine wines in Brazil. According to the agronomic engineer, Brazil’s winery tradition is little
known abroad. There is still some resistance in
some markets, despite its high quality standards.
Nogueira describes some initiatives that are being undertaken to break the stereotypes that are,
in many cases, imposed on Brazilian wine in order for it to enjoy the same international success
that Brazilian cachaça and caipirinha do.
Flavors from Brazil
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Barrels.
Source: Vinícola Miolo Ltda
Texts from Brazil . Nº 13
FB: What are the origins of Brazilian
wine production?
CECN: The first register of winegrowing
in Brazil dates back to 1538 with Brás Cubas, on
the coast of São Paulo, who began to study the
development of this culture. Afterwards, some
seedlings were taken to others parts of the country by the Jesuits. The culture established itself in
the region of Sete Povos das Missões and on the
islands of the estuary of the Guaíba River in Rio
Grande do Sul, south of Brazil. However, as an
effective commercial activity, winegrowing started in 1875 with Italian immigration to Brazil.
FB: In Brazil, winemaking tradition,
however long in existence, is still
relatively unknown. What have
the institutions related to wine
been doing to improve the image of
Brazilian wines?
CECN: The institutions, nowadays, have
been working intensively on their marketing.
The main idea is dissemination. Uvibra (Brazilian Vitiviniculture Union), specifically, has been
working at a national level for 40 years. It is the
main forum for the protection of Brazilian winegrowing and for government relations. Their
main task, which we would like to develop even
further, is to promote Brazilian wine through advertising campaigns, the promotion of wine consumption and of its health benefits. This is the
main goal of the organizations besides protecting the industry and working with government
to elaborate sectorial policies.
FB: Is there a marketing plan by
Uvibra or wine producers? How is it
carried out, particularly abroad?
CECN: Dissemination abroad is done
through Wines from Brazil, which is our big enFlavors from Brazil
As an effective
commercial activity,
winegrowing started
in 1875 with Italian
immigration to Brazil.
tity for the representation of national wine cultivation for export. It is an integrated sectorial
program, supported by APEX (Brazilian Trade
and Investment Promotion Agency), in partnership with other entities, such as Sebrae (Brazilian Micro and Small Enterprises Bureau). The
goal of Wines from Brazil is to promote Brazilian
wine abroad. Today, if I am not mistaken, there
are 17 wineries associated. These wineries get together to promote Brazilian wine internationally,
by participating in fairs, doing technical visits to
markets, promoting special events – such as dinners coordinated with wines –, tasting events at
hotels, restaurants, and even at our own embassies (the diplomatic staff have been very helpful).
At the international level, these are the main activities.
FB: Which markets are more receptive
and which are more indifferent to
Brazilian wine?
CECN: The most receptive markets are
the ones that are traditional consumers of wine,
namely, Europe and the United States. These already mature markets recognize good quality.
There is no use in trying to sell a good quality
product to someone who does not recognize it.
The more mature markets are the ones that accept our product, essentially because Brazilian
wine today presents an excellent cost/benefit ratio, mainly in the premium and higher catego161
This large diversity,
not only of climate but
also of soil, and even
cultural, enables us
to have a very large
diversity in production,
thus offering products
that other countries,
traditional producers,
cannot.
This is the main situation with Brazilian wines.
So, more mature markets that recognize quality,
that can open two bottles of wine and say: “well,
this one is worth more than the other”, these are
the most receptive markets.
The less-receptive markets are the less-mature markets that still don’t know wines and buy
them according to reputation. Since Brazil does
not have a strong winery tradition and is not yet
an internationally acclaimed large producer of
wine, it frequently suffers from prejudice and is
not able to penetrate emerging markets, such as
China and Latin America, which do not yet have
the culture and the habit of consuming wine.
Our main markets are: the United States, Switzerland, France, Germany and England. All traditional producers of wine, except England.
ries. Brazil is not currently positioning itself to
compete price-wise with Argentina and Chile,
mainly because of a production volume issue.
Brazil produces around 40 million liters of fine
wine, while Argentina produces 1.2 billion and
Chile 900 million. They are able to produce wine
at lower prices due to the large economy of scale.
Nevertheless, in terms of quality, given its diverse
climate, Brazil produces wine from the extreme
South to the Northeast. In Chile and Argentina,
for example, all the vineyards are irrigated with
cold water from the Andes; in Australia, the majority of the vineyards are found in semi-desert
areas. This large diversity, not only of climate
but also of soil, and even cultural, enables us to
have a very large diversity in production, thus
offering products that other countries, traditional producers, cannot. This has been our great
differential for the external market. We are not
presenting ourselves as one more producer who
has arrived to sell cheap wine; we present differentiated, sophisticated wines with added value.
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FB: Besides the fact that Brazilian
wine is still relatively unknown, what
other challenges does the promotion
of Brazilian wine face abroad?
CECN: The first challenge is to transform
Brazil into a well-known wine producer. We must
develop in the minds of international consumers
the idea that to talk about wine and Brazil in the
same context is not absurd. This still happens
today, although it is now changing. The second
step is to show that Brazilian wine is a high quality product and that it presents an above average
cost/benefit ratio. Nowadays Brazil focuses on
wines with premium quality or higher, with added value. Thus, our second challenge is precisely
to enable international consumers to recognize
the quality that we offer. The third challenge, at a
more advanced phase, is to be able to differentiate the internal regions of Brazil for international
consumers. Some years of presentation and communication of the Brazilian product abroad will
Texts from Brazil . Nº 13
Flavors from Brazil
Vineyard.
Source: Vinícola Miolo Ltda
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Nowadays Brazil focuses
on wines with premium
quality or higher, with
added value. Thus,
our second challenge
is precisely to enable
international consumers
to recognize the quality
that we offer.
be necessary in order to enable this market to
differentiate the wine produced in different regions of Brazil, such as the Vinhedos Valley, the
Northeast region, in Santa Catarina, and in the
Campanha region in Rio Grande do Sul. We hope
that, in the future, these regional specificities will
be recognized, as occurs in the majority of countries that have reached this advanced stage.
FB: Are there denominations of
origin in Brazil? Which ones?
CECN: Yes. The first denomination of origin that was developed in Brazil, Vinhedos Valley, dates from 2001. It is a geographical indication. Other regions are working in this sense, but
currently, with the approval of the INPI (Brazilian National Institute of Intellectual Property) as
a geographical indication, only Vinhedos Valley
for now. There are in Brazil, several production
zones, which are mandatory for export, without which the market does not recognize a fine
wine. They are: the border production zone, that
encompasses the south of Rio Grande do Sul;
the production zone of the mountain area of Rio
Grande do Sul; and the production zone of the São
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Francisco River Valley, which includes the whole
production zone of the Northeast. The idea is to
enlarge and create new production zones, mainly
with the development of the region. In Santa Catarina, for example, much has been done so that
soon it may become a production zone and, who
knows, acquire some denominations of origin.
FB: Many specialists stated that
Brazil would not be able to produce
high quality wine due to its tropical
climate. On what are these statements
based?
CECN: The New Zealanders ended this
theory that quality wines could only be produced
in temperate regions, between the parallels of 40°
and 45° North and South. They produce excellent
quality wine above 45° south latitude. The Canadians, with their ice wines, also helped to overthrow the theory. I believe that the Northeast is
going to end this idea once and for all. In reality,
there is universality in grape production. It has
already been perfectly proven that grapes can
be produced from Greenland to the Northeast of
Brazil. Countries which were jokes in the wine
producing world, such as England, of which was
said: “it is as rare as English wine”, today produce excellent wine. This lobby of a preferential
region was overturned many years ago. Today
Brazil, with its continental dimension, produces
wine everywhere except in the Amazon. In other
parts of the country there are very interesting
production regions, very interesting wines, very
well developed projects that have been advancing rapidly.
FB: At which stage is the grape
cultivation project of the São
Francisco River today? Many people
have said that it wouldn’t be possible
Texts from Brazil . Nº 13
Jancis Robinson, the
main English wine
critic, commented on
the quality of wines
produced in the Northeast
of Brazil saying that
they had developed
many varieties, which
were very unique and
adapted to the region.
Among these we can
mention the Shiraz and
the Muscatel.
to produce quality grapes in the
region, but, currently, it produces
two harvests per year.
CECN: Exactly. This project of the São Francisco Valley is very interesting and very old, it
started in the 1940s by Cinzano, which produced
vermouth in that region. In 1970, the Milano
Farm, of the Pérsico Pizzamiglio group, developed a very interesting project which included
wine production. In 1980, Aurora winery began a
project called “Bebedouro” (water fountain) that
promoted the immigration of grape producing
families to the region. Currently, several projects
are being undertaken in the area, such as Garziera of Brazil, Garziera of Italy, Bianchetti Tedesco, Ouro Verde, Boticelli, which is quite old,
and more recently, Rio Sol, that came about from
the union of Portuguese Dão Sul, Raimundo da
Fonte group and the import company Expand.
Flavors from Brazil
Thus, we can observe that this project is not a recent invention, as it has been developed for 67
years. It is not a challenge or a curiosity anymore,
but a reality. Jancis Robinson, the main English
wine critic, commented on the quality of wines
produced in the Northeast of Brazil saying that
they had developed many varieties, which were
very unique and adapted to the region. Among
these we can mention the Shiraz and the Muscatel. What we are seeking in the Northeast are
new varieties of grapes adapted to the region to
broaden the scope of production. However, the
varieties already planted, like Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Muscatels and Chenin Blanc, are
fully developed, they are in the international
market and are recognized.
FB: Where does the majority of
Brazilian wine production come from?
CECN: One can say that the majority of
national wine production, about 90% of the fine
wines, comes from Rio Grande do Sul. Only 5 to
7% of the production is concentrated in the Brazilian Northeast. In Brazil, there is a striking difference between fine wine and regular wine. Just
so you can have an idea, the total Brazilian market is around 350 million liters. Of these, 268 million are regular wines that are made with hybrid
American grapes. The remainder, 82 million liters are fine wines which are produced with wine
grapes (Cabernet, Merlot, Chardonnay, etc.).
FB: What are the main qualities of the
Brazilian wine?
CECN: To speak of Brazilian wine as a
whole is complicated. We have a very large diversity in production. We can comment on the
characteristics of the wine from the mountains
of Rio Grande do Sul or the aspects of the wine
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from the Northeast or from Santa Catarina. Each
region has very distinct characteristics. What can
be said, however, is that the largest production is
from Rio Grande do Sul. The main characteristics
would be light wines with a strong fruity flavor.
They are very fruity wines, with an excellent balance between structure and acidity. Since they
are very well balanced in the alcoholic degree,
they are light and pleasant to drink. But, as I said
before, Brazil is very big. In Rio Grande do Sul
lie the border region and the Campanha region,
where, due to their excellent climate and soil,
wines are very fruity, well structured, but with a
higher alcoholic level due to the lack of rain during harvest. However, in general, we can say that
the main characteristic of Brazilian wine is that
it is fruity, light bodied, with a pleasant bouquet
and well balanced in alcoholic level.
FB: Brazilian wines still suffer
prejudice from Brazilians themselves?
What is the preferred wine among
Brazilian palates?
CECN: Yes, it still endures a great deal of
prejudice. Brazil places itself among the countries
that are not yet mature. Our per capita consumption is around 1.8 liters/year. According to 2007
data, the total sale of fine wines in Brazil is of 70
million liters: 22 million are national wines and
48 million are imported. As to sparkling wines,
the market consumes 12 million liters: 7 million 600 thousand are produced nationally and
4 million 500 thousand are imported. What we
have observed is that as culture grows, wine consumption also grows and there is a higher appreciation for the national production. This happens
frequently abroad, where consumers already
know how to recognize a good quality product. I
believe that in Brazil this will soon be the case.
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Obviously, this is not totally the consumers’ fault. Producers have a big responsibility in
the bad perception of Brazilian wine. Only in the
last 10 years have there been large investments in
national fine wine production and an incredible
increase in its quality. Many Brazilian consumers have not followed up on this evolution and
still have the image that Brazilian wine is a lowquality product. Formerly, this distorted image
was justified in some products that were offered
with low technology, but, currently, Brazil is
ahead of many old and traditional wine producing countries because we have acquired what is
most modern in terms of winemaking; the main
Brazilian wineries have international consultants
that help with the development of technology.
This has enabled Brazilian wine to achieve, over
a ten-year period, an international quality level,
so much so that it is recognized throughout the
world as an exportable product.
FB: Are there any differences
between Brazilian wines produced
for the internal market and the ones
reserved for export?
CECN: They are basically the same product. They are even bottled at the same time. The
difference is on the label. The one on export
wines shows the legal requirements of the country of destination. What we can observe is that,
in regard to export wines, the market seeks and
consumes wines with higher added value, from
premium up.
FB: The quality of Brazilian sparkling
wine puts it among the best in the
world. What are its characteristics?
CECN: The main production region of the
sparkling wines is the mountains of Rio Grande
do Sul. The varieties like Chardonnay, Pinot
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The refreshing
characteristic of
Brazilian sparkling
wines is what
makes it distinctive
internationally. We can
say that in the last five
years Brazil has only
lost to the Champagne
region in France in
terms of number of
international prizes.
Noir, and proseccos themselves, have adapted
very well to the region because of its climate
and soil, leading to a product that is fresh and
jovial. Brazilian sparkling wine has a pleasant
bouquet, and its freshness is achieved by an excellent balance between structure and acidity. In
the regions that are not able to achieve the same
structure and acidity, the sparkling wines are
less refreshing, and the refreshing characteristic of Brazilian sparkling wines is what makes it
distinctive internationally. We can say that in the
last five years Brazil has only lost to the Champagne region in France in terms of number of international prizes.
FB: And how is the receptiveness to
Brazilian sparkling wines abroad?
CECN: The largest problem about exporting sparkling wine is that Brazil does not produce
regular sparkling wine, our exports are focused
on premium sparkling wines, and the market is
Flavors from Brazil
dominated by cheap sparkling wines, mainly the
Spanish cavas or the Italian proseccos – products
that dominate the market at a low-price level. In
relation to value added products, the French, due
to their reputation, practically dominate the market on their own. However, the market is now
changing. The consumption of sparkling wines
which was not so large in the world, limited to
festive occasions and celebrations, is now starting to include daily consumption. In Brazil, as in
the rest of the world, champagne bars – where
quality starts to be appreciated and price is important – can be found. In these places, when you
want quality and you are not prepared to pay a
high price for it, Brazilian sparkling wines come
on the scene, because they are quality products
but are not so expensive. It is in this market that
Brazil is advancing the export of its sparkling
wine.
FB: Does the success of Brazilian
caipirinha and cachaças abroad,
almost as a patriotic icon, hinder the
external projection of our wines?
CECN: Everything that you present with
quality that comes from Brazil helps the Brazilian wine. Abroad people talk very highly of
caipirinha, which is a Brazilian icon, and also in
our country it is considered an excellent cocktail
drink. Different initiatives, be they related to cachaças, wines, fashion designers, models or soccer
players, achieve fantastic international success.
Everything that is disseminated, presenting a joyous, sophisticated Brazil, with its positive side
in view, helps, indeed, to promote the Brazilian
wine. Germany, today, is one of the main caipirinha consumers of the world, and one of the main
markets for our cachaça, and Germany is also an
excellent importer of Brazilian wines.
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