From the gaucho pampas, a tradition that came with the immigrants to the south of the country resurfaces: the production of wines. The region of Campanha Gaúcha, on the Brazilian border with Uruguay and Argentina, has stood out for being a hot place in the summer and with less rainfall, which benefits the wine grapes, producing quality wines. The team from the Caminhos da Reportagem program went to the southwest region of Rio Grande do Sul to learn about the wines, producers and stories behind the wineries that stand out on the national scene. The red, white and rosé wines from Campanha Gaúcha received the geographical indication seal in 2020, for the quality of the product made in the region. The Caminhos team visited wineries such as Campos de Cima, in Itaqui. The couple Hortência and José Ayub invested in grapes at a time when little was said about wine there. “I remember a lot the first bottle of wine we produced, it was like having a child in your hands, because you start all the work from scratch”, recalls Hortência. José assesses that the presence of the winery opened the door to other businesses. “After we implemented the wine area, people already planted pecan and olive trees here”, he says. Enology In 2006, the Federal University of Pampa (Unipampa) created the Bachelor’s degree in Enology. A gamble that, for the dean of the campus in the municipality of Dom Pedrito, Nádia Bucco, paid off: “We have renowned professionals as professors and that makes our students leave as professionals of excellence”, she says. The demand for enologists is still greater than the university can train. Guatambu chose to be a boutique winery, with small, limited batches and numbered bottles. Sales, during the pandemic, increased by 60%. A reality also seen by other producers, such as Renê Almazar, co-owner of Bodega Sossego. “During the pandemic, there was a border blockade, the dollar was high and people ended up having access to Brazilian wine, almost forced, because that was what they had, but they had a very pleasant surprise”, he evaluates. Cooperation between producers is essential. The Batalha winery, for example, in addition to producing its own wines and being open to tourism, also makes wines for other brands. “The producer brings the grapes and we make the wine, this is a very strong feature in the Campanha Gaúcha, this partnership between those who have a commercial brand and the wineries”, she says. This and other stories will be featured in the episode “Campanha Gaúcha, o vinho dos pampas”, which will air this Sunday (18), at 10 pm, on TV Brasil. Technical data Reporting: Ana Graziela Aguiar Film reporting: André Rodrigo Pacheco Technical assistance: Marcelo Vasconcelos Production: Carol Oliveira and Tiago Bittencourt Text editing: Carina Dourado
Agência Brasil
Folha Nobre - Desde 2013 - ©