In the middle of the Cerrado and in the wake of growth recorded in the last two decades, in other regions of Brazil, grape cultivation is gaining strength and the wine produced in Goiás is already beginning to cater to a public with a more demanding palate. Among winemakers, the order is to invest in spaces that can receive different audiences – professionals, students and consumers – and encourage wine tourism.
In the State, the city of Paraúna has the largest planted area, and there are productions in Itaberaí, Santa Helena de Goiás, Cocalzinho de Goiás, Nova Veneza, Goianira and Hidrolândia. “It is a profitable culture, despite requiring high initial investments, as well as input and specialized labor. However, it requires little space for cultivation, benefiting small producers, and the product has a guaranteed market”, explains the technical analyst from the Institute for the Strengthening of Agriculture of Goiás (Ifag) and the Federation of Agriculture and Livestock of Goiás (Faeg) , Alexandro Alves.
According to data from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Strategies (IBGE), throughout the State, there are 40 hectares planted with so-called table grapes, intended for fresh consumption, and 77 hectares of the fruit that will be industrialized and become juice, wine or jelly. The properties have, on average, 2 and 10 hectares, respectively. “We already have some agro-industries in Goiás that absorb part of this production”, he points out, also mentioning a brand new market for producers: the separation of seeds for the cosmetics and food industries.
In Brazil, according to the Brazilian Wine Institute (Ibravin), the Serra Gaúcha, Campanha Gaúcha and Serra do Sudeste, in Rio Grande do Sul, stand out as producing regions; the Vale do Rio do Peixe and Rosário do Ivaí, in Santa Catarina; the Planalto Catarinense and Campos de Cima de Serra, on the border between Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina, and the São Francisco Valley, between the states of Bahia and Pernambuco.
The fruit is divided into two large groups: hybrid or table fruit – North American ones most used for juices and bottles of wine, such as niagara and seibel – and vinifera fruit – imported from Europe and intended for fine winemaking. The president of Ibravin, Dirceu Scottá, cites the proximity to the consumer market in the Federal District as a positive point for attracting investments to Goiás. “Goiás winemaking has taken its first steps in the last decade, with some specific initiatives, but which has already they begin to reveal some excellent wines”, he analyzes.
Fine wine
A decade after starting wine production in Serra das Galés, in Paraúna, doctor and producer Sebastião Ferro, 77 years old, will launch his first fine wine label. The drink, the result of the 2016 harvest, is in the aging process. “We are in the final phase of preparing, labeling and qualifying the product, to be launched by the end of the year. We are going to celebrate the winery’s 10th anniversary with this fine wine from the Cerrado”, he informs. During the writing of this article, he was harvesting the fruits of the 2017 harvest.
The production of wine for more refined palates is the result of a partnership with Embrapa Uva e Vinho, located in Bento Gonçalves, in Rio Grande do Sul. The fine wine comes from shyraz and touriga nacional grapes, from Portugal. “We are researching some grapes and this year we grafted a seedless table grape, BRS Vitória (a variety created by Embrapa), which is very tasty”, he informs.
Today, Serra das Galés grows the fruit on 30 hectares and produces juice and table wine – Cálice de Pedra -, in homage to the rock formations of Paraúna. The products are sold in Goiás, Distrito Federal and Triângulo Mineiro. Each year, between 400 and 500 tons of grapes are harvested. Ferro defines himself as “passionate about grapes” and has the dream of creating and growing the wine tourism route in Goiás.
The winery, in Paraúna, already receives visitors, especially university students. The person welcoming them is winemaker Valdir Cristofoli, partner at Serra das Galés, and responsible for producing the brand's first fine wine. “We have no history of producing the Touriga Nacional variety within the Cerrado climate. We are producing it and, fortunately, it worked. The quality of the product surprised us. We sent it to the South, for a sensory evaluation, and it was very well approved”, he celebrates.
According to him, new fine wines can be launched. For the next harvest, other grape varieties are being tested. “Our market, with this product, is made up of consumers with a more refined palate, who have the habit of consuming wine, oenophiles in general, because it is a fuller-bodied, more complex drink”, he adds, informing that the price will have “more value aggregate”.
Partnership
Serra das Galés also buys grapes from small producers in the region, such as Sítio Recanto da Barra, located in the District of Baiinha. Producer Onofre Macedo das Neves, 50, entered the business alongside his parents and four brothers, encouraged by producer Sebastião Ferro. Until 2007, they worked with rice planting and a decade later, they do not regret the change they made. “It was definitely a good change”, he ponders.
Neves calculates that at the beginning of the business he invested between R$ 15 thousand and R$ 20 thousand per hectare of cultivation. Today, there are eight hectares, three vineyards and more than 10 thousand grape plants. Annual production is between 125 and 140 tons, sold fresh to buyers in the Federal District and Mato Grosso, and for processing at the Serra das Galés winery. The entire family makes a living from the grapes and, during the pruning and harvesting season, at least three employees are hired.
Gourmet
A pioneer, Vinícola Goiás, in Itaberaí, is betting on a recently launched Gourmet Space to attract visitors and promote tourism involving wine. Every month, the place receives, on average, two classes of courses such as Gastronomy and Agronomy, from educational institutions in Goiás. “We are opening the property to tourism from now on”, explains Anir Razia, co-owner of the winery. There, 13 hectares of grapes are planted and around 260 tons of fruit are harvested per year.
There is also an industry processing whole grape juice and pulp, products destined for the market in Goiás and the Federal District. He highlights the role of rural management in the growth of wineries and says that, today, the biggest concern is with care involving health, respect for land use and the environment and quality control. “We are in a very good field of production and commercialization”, he ponders, who took rural entrepreneurship courses at Senar.
Responsible for the work at Espaço Gourmet, chef Sabrina Pinheiro explains that visitors will visit the vineyard, the factory, where wine, whole juice, pulp, jelly are produced, and will end their stay with lunch and dinner with haute cuisine dishes. Everything harmonized with the winery’s products. “We want to bring a little of the South to the Cerrado”, he says.
It is precisely from the South that the inspiration for planting grapes in Goiás came, almost two decades ago, work started by Danilo Razia, 59, Anir's father. From an Italian family, he moved to Goiás looking for a place to establish production. “We saw some 'backyard' plantations, without technology, but which produced grapes. We realized it could work”, he recalls.
Search
The Isabel grape, used for the production of juices and table wine, is the basis for genetic research by Embrapa Uva e Vinho, which developed the BRS varieties. “There are three new varieties, more tolerant to the so-called grapevine disease”, explains researcher João Dimas Garcia. Black, seedless and highly productive, BRS Vitória stands out for its sweetness and flavor that give the variety its own identity.
“It is expanding in many regions of Brazil, mainly in the São Francisco Valley, where its plantation already exceeds 400 hectares”, he informs. BRS Isis is red, seedless, crunchy and stands out for its productivity. BRS Núbia draws attention due to its size, it is black and has seeds, in addition to requiring less labor and less fungicide: in other words, it has a lower production cost.
Market
The president of the Brazilian Wine Institute (Ibravin), Dirceu Scottá, explains that winemaking has been evolving very intensely, especially in the last two decades. However, in 2016 the commercial performance of wines and sparkling wines in the domestic market fell by 18% compared to 2015, totaling sales of 202 million liters. “The negative result was due to several factors, such as the biggest crop failure in history, the worst since the 1960s, which ended up reducing the supply of inputs”, he explains.
Scottá also cites the economic crisis, increased taxes, unemployment and the drop in purchasing power. In the foreign market, however, the scenario is better. Despite representing a low volume, in 2016, there was an increase of more than 40% in sales abroad, with more than 2.2 million liters. In 2017, the difficult situation in the domestic market is likely to repeat itself, predicts the president of Ibravin.
In the first half of this year, the drop recorded was 8.6%, considering fine and table wines, juices, sparkling wines, vinegars, among others. The perspective is that the second half of the year will see a small improvement compared to the first six months. “We have the entry of products from this year's record harvest, that is, new options and a greater variety of labels for consumers, the proximity of the end-of-year festivities, which usually boost sales, especially of sparkling wines, and a trend of greater stability in employment and family purchasing power”, he states.
Source: Agrolink
