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Grape Growing and Winemaking in Tropical Brazil

1995; Haworth Press; Volume: 3; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1300/j065v03n01_02

2331-3129

Tibor Lakatos,

Fermentation and Sensory Analysis

Abstract Good quality wine grapes are grown in tropical Brazil. The area is situated around the 9th southern latitude between the cities of Casa Nova, State of Bahia and Santa Maria da Boa Vista, State of Pernambuco, in the Sao Francisco river valley at an altitude of 375 m. The climate is semi-arid, with precipitation of 300-600 mm, and average temperature is 26°C. Grapes are harvested in July and August after 120-130 days of vegetation and again in late December after 100 days vegetation. Grapevines receive one month rest after harvest and are induced to grow again so that the harvest is staggered. Each plant is irrigated with 40 to 80 L of water daily. The quality of wine produced from these grapes is good and is comparable to wines produced in temperate climates. This article details the wine quality parameters and chemical analyses of wines made from several cultivars of grapes in this area. Tropical climates offer possibility of more than one grape crop per year and are therefore attractive for wine production. However, there are many doubts concerning the possibility of making good wines in the tropmany doubts concerning the possibility of making good wines in the tropics. Although several wine makers, who do not work in tropical areas, question the suitability of graps from tropical climates for producing quality wines. Our experience indicates that such wines can be produced. This paper will demonstrate that, when proper technology is used, tropical regions can produce grapes which are suitable are suitable for a high-quality wine industry.