Wine production grows in SP and gains seal of origin – 07/24/2023 – Tourism

The tour at Vinícola Biagi, in Cravinhos —293 km from São Paulo— begins with a tour of the vineyard and a presentation on pruning and harvesting the Italian grapes grown since 2020 on site.

Pruning, something that seems banal to those who don’t know what it means in wine production, however, is the main secret for a farm located in a hot region like Ribeirão Preto to produce quality grapes. It is also responsible for the strong growth in the total number of wineries in the interior of São Paulo. So much so that producers are developing the Wines of São Paulo seal to highlight the so-called winter wines produced in the state.

There are already at least eight wineries producing and another 25 under development in the interior of São Paulo alone, thanks to the so-called double pruning, also known as inverted or winter pruning. Three of them, including Cravinhos, produce wines from Italian grapes, in a market today dominated by French varieties.

Production at one of the wineries already reaches 70,000 bottles per harvest, thanks to the technique developed at Epamig (a research company from Minas Gerais) which consists of transferring the summer harvest, as it had occurred until then, to the winter, with the aim of “cheating” the plant.

This transfer, combined with the thermal amplitude (difference, in degrees, between the minimum temperature of a day and the maximum) and management, led to the emergence of wineries such as Biagi, owned by businessman Luiz Biagi, who articulated the movement.

“The history of wine in Brazil is going to change. Today, no Brazilian enters a wine shop looking for Brazilian wines, except sparkling wine, in which the country has an extraordinary qualification. But the double pruning system brought the possibility of producing grapes with much higher quality”, he says.

It is a sector that grows so fast –Biagi produces on 12 hectares and wants to reach 20– that, according to data from Anprovin (National Association of Winter Wine Producers), created in 2016, 488,000 liters of wine are already produced per year, which results in 651,000 bottles. To get a place to visit Cravinhos, you need to book well in advance.

Production, according to Anprovin, is concentrated in 318 hectares (an area equivalent to 445 football fields) and brings together award-winning brands such as Maria Maria, from Boa Esperança (MG) –which since 2009 has cultivated vines that today exceed 20 hectares, focusing on double pruning– and Casa Verrone, from Itobi (SP). Among the associates there are also wineries from the Federal District, Bahia, Goiás and Mato Grosso.

The double pruning technique is also used by other São Paulo wineries, such as Góes, in São Roque, which receives an average of 500,000 visitors per year. The company, which produces 12 million liters of wine annually, reported that it started to generate good results in the winter harvest in 2011, in the first harvest using the double pruning technique.

With the harvest in winter –July and August–, the grape maturation period takes place on sunny days, with cool nights and dry soil. The scenario is pointed out by researchers as fundamental for the quality of the wines produced in the interior.

At the centenary farm in Cravinhos, which gave its name to the city, the itinerary also includes pairing and tasting of four types of wines, in an authentic enogastronomic tour. The meals served on site are signed by chef Beatriz Nomellini with most of the ingredients coming from the farm itself.

The osteria opened to the public in February and has a busy schedule. In early June, the Secretary for Economic Development of São Paulo, Jorge Lima, was on site and also in São Roque.

At the Biagi winery, he said that the proposal is to encourage the production of wines in conjunction with a tourism program in the state, which should be launched by Governor Tarcísio de Freitas (Republicans).

In São Roque, he mentioned that there are 20 internationally awarded wineries in São Paulo and that there is capacity to set up a center similar to the one in the south of the country.

“The visitor notices that the grape [de inverno] it has much more quality, it is healthy, with a much higher sugar content and, consequently, it generates a much better wine”, says Biagi.

Producers bet on wine tourism in centuries-old farms

The Italian grapes grown in Cravinhos, sangiovese and nebbiolo among them, come from the Marchese di Ivrea winery, in Ituverava, which is 16 years old and emerged in an area that in the past was home to cotton, soy, corn, sugarcane and coffee.

Owner of the winery, businessman Luis Roberto Lorenzato, former Italian deputy for the Liga Norte party, said he intended, alongside Biagi and other winemakers from São Paulo, to cover a region that goes from Campinas to Uberlândia, about 500 kilometers away.

“We have quality, award-winning wines. As national wine was far behind compared to imported ones, the proposal is to use São Paulo’s industry, its strength, to reflect on the world of wine. São Paulo is the largest consumer market in Brazil, and I really believe that São Paulo pride will give credentials for this”, he said.

At Marchese di Ivrea, which houses a mansion from 1889, the idea of ​​producing grapes came about due to a June festival. Lorenzato invited friends to an evening event, but canceled after the temperature dropped to 5ºC on a June night. He turned the night party into lunch the next day, when the thermometer already showed 25ºC.

“There were cold nights, hot days and zero rain. If in Italy there are regions where the temperature exceeds 45ºC and produce grapes, here it would also be possible. The grape likes heat too – the story that it needs cold is a myth”, he said.

The guided tour of the 12-hectare site, which takes place on Saturdays and, in special periods, at two times, attracts an average of 70,000 people a year. It begins with general explanations in an area that used to function as a stud farm, and then the tourists are taken to the countryside, where they learn about the techniques used and receive explanations about the terroir and the process of harvesting the grapes.

Then, with sommelier Jovaniel Oliveira, 35, they discover how the grape crushing, fermentation, filtering and bottling processes work.

“A first harvest takes place in January, in the middle of the Brazilian summer, with a lot of rain and a lot of sun. This grape is used for white and sparkling wines. Afterwards, a drastic pruning is carried out on the vine, only the part we call the lira remains.

The most awaited time at both wineries is the harmonized tasting. In Ituverava, with cheeses and sausages, in which six toasts are made, the last one with Arduino, highlight among the wines produced in the place.

While a tenor sings Italian classics, guests also savor Fiorentina steak and lamb. The itinerary costs BRL 198 per person (drinks apart, except for the tasting).

In its 14th harvest, Lorenzato said that there is room in the market for all 25 wineries under development and that this will make the Brazilian reduce the purchase of Argentine and Chilean wines.

“It will strengthen wine tourism and show people the step-by-step process for producing an excellent wine. They will understand that quality is different and will value the local product, without having to go to Chile, Argentina or even the south of the country.”