Issue 1 Volume 2
 
   
August 2012
The 2012 Vintage: Top Three of Last Fifty Years
According to Embrapa, Brazil's Grape and Wine Research Institute, the 2012 harvest shows exceptional promise with quality equivalent to the great vintages of 1991 and 2005. This is especially true in Serra Gaucha, Campos de Cima da Serra, Campanha and Serra do Sudeste in Rio Grande do Sul and Planalto Catarinense in Santa Catarina, regions representing 90% of Brazil's total wine production.
Celito Guerra, top researcher at Embrapa, considers the 2012 harvest in Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina to be among the top three of the last 50 years, attributing success to the presence of the La Niña – a climatic phenomenon which normally occurs in alternate years. "This season was a filled with sunlight, low humidity and rainfall and exceptional thermal amplitude, resulting in greater maturation of grapes on the vine." says Guerra.
Jose Fernando da Silva Protas, Embrapa researcher, states "this vintage combines exceptional climatic behavior with new vineyard management techniques and state of the art technology. The expected result is wines with a delicate balance of sugar and acidity; fresh fruit aromas (white wines) and good color and tannins (red wines)".
According to Ibravin (Brazilian Wine Institute), this harvest will produce an estimated yield of 1,534 million pounds – enough to produce 327 million bottles of wine in Rio Grande do Sul. And, "while the losses suffered as a result of hail storms were measurable, they were off-set by the increase in cultivated area over the past several years" states Alceu Dalla Molle, President of Ibravin's Advisory Board.

2012 Harvest Report Regional Vintages
There are particularities for each wine-producing region in the country. For a 2012 harvest report specific to each region, click the hotlinks below:

Serra Gaúcha
The favorable climatic conditions of 2012 and the new vineyard management techniques applied by producers resulted in the production of high quality fruit.
Serra do Sudeste
The 2012 vintage in Serra do Sudeste was exceptional.

Campanha
Aromatic richness, a balanced palate, moderate acidity and slightly astringent tannins describe 2012 vintage wines produced in the region of Campanha.

Planalto Catarinense
Planalto Catarinense is comprised of high altitude vineyards that are largely influenced by thermal amplitude.
Vale do São Francisco
Producing two harvests a year and at 9 degrees latitude, this unique wine region is the world's closest to the Equator. The climate is semi-arid with minimal rainfall, with cycles ranging from 120 to 130 days.



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