Brazilian sparkling wine has won over global consumers. Exports hit 935,000 liters in 2021, a 21% increase from 2020. In the domestic market, product sales between the months of January and December 2021 have grown over 40% in comparison with the previous year. Partnership between science and the production sector allowed Brazil to develop high-quality and unique sparkling wines, in the style of French champagnes, Italian proseccos and Spanish cavas. In 2021, the Brazilian product received over 300 medals in several countries, including France. Brazilian sparkling wines reached the impressive figure of 30.3 million liters being traded in the country between the months of January and December 2021, about 40% more than in the same period of the previous year. Meanwhile exports hit about 935,000 liters in the same period, a 21% increase from 2020, according to the Brazilian Grape and Wine Union (Uvibra). Behind such success, there is science. Agricultural research has helped to boost such an important chain by developing cultivars, management and processing techniques, and the characterization of producing regions for the obtainment of seals of origin. “The role of research consists in improving processes, identifying the best varieties and clones, offering quality seedlings, improving plant health systems (methods used to prevent the propagation of pests and diseases in plantations) associated with the improvement of the quality of the fermentation and aging of sparkling wines”, states the enology researcher at Embrapa Grape and Wine (Bento Gonçalves, RS) Mauro Zanus, who has been following the evolution of the sector for over 30 years. Due to a partnership between the production sector and research, Brazil today is a reference in the elaboration of the beverage in the Southern Cone. “Brazilian sparkling wines are proudly unique, with characteristics that distinguish them from the other bubbly reference products in the world, such as the French champagnes, the Italian proseccos or the Spanish cavas. National products are distinct due to natural properties like soil and climate, and to technological particularities in the cultivation of grapes and the elaboration of the wine”, Zanus explains. The researcher underscores the importance of Embrapa's role in following this dynamic process alongside the production sector. “Being on the side of associations of producers of wine with different Geographical Indications, studying the best cultivars, and identifying the regions with the biggest expression of terroir in the end items was fundamental to reach the level of excellency achieved”, he adds. The originally French term terroir can be explained as a set of vineyards in a given region, which share the same of type of soil, climate conditions, grape varieties, and farmer know-how that originate wines with an unique specificity. According to the president of the Brazilian Grape and Wine Union (Uvibra), the entrepreneur Deunir Luis Argenta, Brazilian grape and wine farming started to be known and recognized in the world in light of its sparkling wines. “As they are unique due to their particular characteristics, they appeal to the taste of not only Brazilians but also of consumers around the globe. They are uncomplicated, versatile and elegant; Brazilian sparkling wines reflect the Brazilian and tropical attributes that are revered by consumers”, he states. International awards In addition to the market data, another good indicator is the awards obtained in national and international competitions. According to the Brazilian Enology Association (ABE), in 2021, Brazil received the record number of 414 medals, and 303 out of those were awarded to sparkling wines. The prizes came 18 competitions held in Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Spain, France, Greece, Hungary, England, Luxemburg and Portugal. The biggest one came from England, where Brazil obtained 97 awards in two international competitions held in London. With this historical record of awards, Brazilian wines and sparkling wines have won 5,221 distinctions (1995 to 2021). The chairman of ABE, the enologist André Gasperin, points out that the Brazilian sparkling wine is one of a kind in the world. “The diverse terroirs, the knowledge and sensitivity of enologists, and investments in the vineyards have contributed to having our sparkling wine reach the level of world recognition”, he states. He pinpoints that most of the medals earned in 2021 came from France, the country of champagne. “This result makes us proud and motivates us to keep betting on the drink”, he celebrates. Gasperin comments ahead that the organization has followed this evolution and, in light of the potential of the drink, they created the Brazilian Sparkling Wine Competition, which is already in its 12nd edition and today is the main showcase for the product. The last edition, which took place in October 2021, awarded 126 sparkling wines out of 424 samples of from 93 vineyards from the Brazilian states Minas Gerais, Paraná, Pernambuco, Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina, São Paulo, and Distrito Federal. According to Uvibra's expectation, sparkling wine sales should keep growing solidly and permanently. “The diversity of terroirs, something that only Brazil has, combined with the vocation for the elaboration of sparkling wines places us in a distinct position as opposed to other producing countries”, Argenta explains. The diversity of national terroirs In 1913, the Peterlongo vineyard started the elaboration of the product in Brazil, in the city of Garibaldi, RS, which is known as the national capital of sparkling wine. Thanks to research on the identification of better-adapted grapes, soil and climate studies, and a history of technological advances, current production has already spread throughout Brazil as today there are qualified indicators to guide farmers and industries in different regions. Wines are being elaborated in the Brazilian Southeast, MidWest and Northeast, thus contributing to a large diversity of products in different terroirs. In the South Region, production takes place in the Atlantic Rainforest and Pampa biomes, where water is available by rains distributed throughout the year. In the Serra Gaúcha mountain range, the relatively cold climate at night provides the fundamental conditions to have the raw material be destined to sparkling wines, with balanced acidity or freshness, which is a structuring element of the flavor, conservation, and quality of the fermentation of sparkling wines. “The backbone of sparkling wine is acidity. And in Brazil's South, especially in Serra gaúcha, we obtain it from natural means”, Zanus adds (pictured above). Meanwhile in the Pampas biome, in the Geographical Indication named Campanha Gaúcha, the maturation of the grapes is different from Serra Gaúcha. “We identified varieties and processes to better express the characteristics of those conditions, as we did for the Indication 'Wines of Altitude of Santa Catarina'”, the researcher adds. In the São Francisco River Valley, which will be the world's first tropical Indication of Origin, the versatility of the region allows the use of a portion of red grapes in the elaboration of sparkling wine, for instance, should there be demand and a lack of stock. “There are two harvests per year, which could take place daily, depending on the scale of the plots. The advantage is to provide fresh and young sparkling wines to the market, according to demand, stocks, and the physical capacity of winemaking enterprises”, underscores Giuliano Elias Pereira, another researcher from Embrapa Grape and Wine. In the middle of Brazil, in the states of Minas Gerais, São Paulo and in Bahia's Chapada Diamantina, two types of products are being elaborated: summer and winter sparkling wines. The summer ones rely on Chardonnay grapes, which are harvested between December and January. As for winter sparkling wines, with the use of the double pruning technique, and in the states of São Paulo and Bahia, they use Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes. “Production is still small, about 30,000 bottles, but they are already drawing attention due to their high quality and diversity”, Pereira comments. Photo: Fabio Ribeiro dos Santos