In mid-May we were back in Brazil to attend the 6th edition of the country’s annual wine trade fair, ‘Wine South America’. The show is held over three days in Bento Gonçalves, the town in Rio Grande do Sul widely recognised as the capital of the local winemaking industry.
This year it attracted over 7,000 professionals, from 20 different countries, and some 650 exhibitors. Although predominantly focused on the domestic market, there was a noticeably increased presence of international suppliers (mainly from Argentina, Uruguay, Portugal and Italy) looking for local distribution.
Go Brazil was very grateful to have been invited to join the international buyers’ group, organised by Consevitis (Brazil’s viticultural association) with the support of APEX, the country’s export promotion agency. As well as the opportunity to meet existing suppliers on the show floor, our schedule included intensive one-to-one discussions with potential exporters and a series of fabulous winery visits. Together these offered valuable insights into the various philosophies, winemaking practices and plans of a wide range of producers.
Having now returned to the UK, our overriding impression is that of a growing self-confidence within the industry, characterised by a willingness to innovate – with new grapes and blends, for example – and, on the back of numerous international awards, a growing awareness among the Brazilian winemakers of just how good many of their wines are.