Pampas region in South Brazil acclaimed for top-quality winemaking
Campanha Gaúcha, in western Rio Grande do Sul state—a pampas area bordering Uruguay and Argentina—has used technology to showcase its traditional quality wines. The region in South Brazil has been active in winemaking for over 150 years, but had so far not received the recognition it deserves. The place is now rising to prominence on the national scene.
In 2020, Campanha Gaúcha was given its own geographical indication seal, under indication of source, which certifies that the location is acclaimed for the quality of its wines. Today, the Campanha Wines Association is made up of 20 producers who boast to have achieved the standards required to use the tag.
Among the seal recipients is the Guatambu vineyard, in Dom Pedrito, which has proved it follows the investment path leading to quality, as opposed to quantity. As a result, Gatambu fits in as a boutique winery, featuring a number of award-winning wines. Its technical director, Gabriela Hermann Pötter, explained that grape bunches are selected in the field and are sent to cold storage to ensure quality—a procedure only possible with small production scales. “Our focus is to have small and limited lots; our bottles are numbered,” she pointed out.
The sale of red, white, rosé, and sparkling wines from Guatambu skyrocketed during the pandemic, with a reported 60-percent surge in demand. A dramatic boost was also reported by other producers—like Renê Almazar Moura, co-owner of Bodega Sossego. “We had to deal with a blockade on the borders during the pandemic. And the dollar was high, so people ended up virtually forced to try Brazilian wine, as that’s what was within reach. As it turned out, they had a delightful surprise,” he argued.
The market scenario lying before Campanha Gaúcha is promising. The local industry has become increasingly qualified in the last 20 years, Moura noted. “We had investment in technology. New people joined the industry, and young people brought in market ideas after studying abroad,” he said. Moura himself is a case in point. In 2008, he received a master’s degree in wine business in the UK. Later on, he created the project for Bodega Sossego, with the vineyard his family already owned on the property.
Despite its recent awakening on the national scene, the region had been known for its wine production over a century ago. The first registered winery in Brazil, J. Marimon & Filhos, was located in Campanha Gaúcha, in the municipality of Candiota. Records from as early as 1923 in the local news show that its wines won gold medals in competitions. Today the winery no longer exists, but its ruins still remind us of a glorious past that seems to be making its comeback.
Science and expertise
Before the region attained its level of quality, science and expertise had to work hand in hand. Several wineries have laboratories for assessing the grapes before they reach the bottling phase. However, it became the job of the Federal University of the Pampa (Unipampa) to evaluate the wines that are granted the Campanha Gaúcha indication of origin.
“This sensory analysis is performed at the university. The wines with guaranteed quality are recommended to receive the seal, whereas those failing to meet the minimum requirements are removed. These may still be sold, but not with the origin tag,” explained Oenology Professor Marcos Gabbardo. He is one of the people responsible for the demonstration vineyard, with its 72 grape varieties, which plays a key role in the studies on the top varieties for the region.
Unipampa also offers Brazil’s only undergraduate program in Oenology, attracting students from all over the country as well as from neighboring countries, like Uruguay, where education in the field is limited to the vocational courses. Nádia Bucco, the dean of Unipampa’s Dom Pedrito campus, said it was a challenge to create the Oenology School at a time when the grape and wine production chain was still burgeoning in the region. “Today, however, the demand in the market is greater than we can deliver in terms of the amount of professionals.”
For Professor Gabbardo, transmitting to younger people his experiences and encouraging them to work with grapes in the region is a rewarding task. “My life choice is to work with Brazilian wine. I am what I am thanks to wine and grape production here in Brazil. Imparting this to the next generations is crucial,” he concluded.
