Other South America

Question 1

Brazil wine regions

Answer 1

Most of the country’s viticultural activity takes place in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul, on the Argentinean border. Within Rio Grande do Sul, Serra Gaúcha is the country’s most developed viticultural region and accounts for approximately 90% of Brazilian wine. sparkling!

Other southern regions include
São Joaquim,
Serra do Sudeste, and
Campanha.

São Francisco Valley in the state of Bahia is a tropical winegrowing region in the northern part of the country, where growers are able to harvest twice a year.

Question 2

Brazil’s DOs

Answer 2

Vale do Vinhedos DO in Serra Gaucha, Rio Grande do Sul- first

Altos de Pinto Bandeira DO - created in 2022-first new world DO exclusively for sparkling wine

sparkling wines are specialty

Question 3

Uruguay main grape?

Answer 3

Tannat - Don Pascual Harriague is the man typically given credit for Tannat’s dissemination around Uruguay and for a long time the name Harriague was used as a synonym for the variety.

other: CS, Merlot, CF, Chardonnay, SB

lots of bulk rosé from Black Muscat (Muscat Hamburg)

Question 4

Uruguay climate

Answer 4

very moderate/ mild- warm summers and mild winters- no extremes

Question 5

Uruguay wine quality levels

Answer 5

Vino Común
Table wine that does not qualify as VCP

Vino de Calidad Preferete
Must be from Vitis vinifera, minimum 85% for Varietal labeling
Minimum 10.5% ABV
Must be sold in glass bottles in the quantity 750ml or smaller

Question 6

wine capital of Brazil?

Answer 6

Bento Gonçalves- At the heart of the hilly Serra Gaucha wine region, sits at an altitude of just over 610 meters (2,000ft), amid an undulating landscape whose topography shares traits of Piedmont and Tuscany.

however, Bento Gonçalves sits on the 29th parallel

Question 7

Peru main grapes

Answer 7

Grenache, Alicante Bouschet, Cabernet, Malbec

Torrontes, SB, Muscat (Pisco)

Question 8

Valle de Ica

Answer 8

Located around 300 kilometers (186 miles) south of Lima in Peru, this is one of the driest places on the planet. No rain or frost has ever been recorded here. Vineyards here are sustained by an aquifer containing glacial meltwater from the Andes.

vineyards around 400 meters of elevation. days are hot, nights are cooler = high sugar, low acid which makes the Muscat ideal for Pisco production. High sugars produce high alcohol content, and low acidity means barrel aging is not required as is the case in Cognac and other brandy regions.

Question 9

Where is most Mexican wine made?

Answer 9

in Baja, California, in the valleys of Guadalupe, Calafia, Santo Tomas, San Vicente and San Antonio de las Minas.

Because of the hot, sunny climate here, irrigation is needed in almost all locations; most Mexican vineyards lie on a similar latitude to the deserts of Iraq and the northern Sahara. Rainfall is low, with the driest areas sometimes receiving only 200 millimeters (8in) annually.

Question 10

Baja California climate / geography

Answer 10

peninsula is split into two quite distinct climatic regions, Sierra de Baja California mountain range bisect the land north-south.

To the west is the Pacific coast, and the climate is semi-dry and Mediterranean. To the east are the arid sands of the Sonora Desert, and viticulture is impractical. In the center, where the mountains rise to more than 10,000ft (3000m), the climate is cooler and slightly wetter, which also supports a small number of wineries.

Irrigation is required in almost all locations in Baja, due to the hot, sunny climate