Campos de Cima

Perhaps an unusual location for quality South American wines, the extreme southwest of Brazil is predominantly ‘cowboy country’: a vast region of seemingly endless rolling plains mainly inhabited by beef cattle, sheep  and punctuated with numerous natural lakes. Indeed, until the mid 19^th century, these badlands, which now straddle modern Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina, were essentially ungoverned. Even nowadays the region can only be accessed by a handful of main roads, and it feels very different from anywhere else we have experienced in Brazil.

It was a great surprise and pleasure then, when in 2013 we first met Hortencia and José Ayub, owners of the Campos de Cima winery. Pioneers of wine-making in this region now known as ‘Campanha Gaúcha’, theirs is a very small family operation which was inaugurated only in 2002. Their vision, then and now, is to create the finest wines from land which is their own.

The result is a 16 hectare vineyard on a gently sloping, north-facing hillside outside the town of Itaqui, lying at an altitude of 50-100m. This remote but beautiful spot – and all the surrounding land – has been in family hands for 150 years. A ranch-style farmhouse sits alongside the vineyard and is used for family gatherings, entertaining or simply enjoying the peace and quiet.

A small purpose-built winery, powered entirely by solar panels, was later constructed on the edge of Itaqui, a small border town linking Brazil and Argentina (although the border here is a river, confusingly called the ‘Rio Uruguai’!). A rental cottage is also situated within the grounds.

Having imported both French and Italian rootstocks, in the early days the family turned to EMBRAPA, the Brazilian agricultural research agency, to help them with the practicalities of making wine. This approach paid off and the company was soon winning medals locally. With an increasing focus on quality over quantity, they then turned to French winemaker, Michel Fabre, and in 2014 he was given sole responsibility for the vintage. Fabre, as well as being a vineyard owner in his native Minervois, in southwest France, also had extensive wine-making experience in the north of Brazil and Argentina.

Under Fabre’s supervision the winery produced some excellent red, white and sparkling wines, the highlight of which – for Go Brazil – was a Malbec/Shiraz/Tannat blend, branded Assinatura (‘signature’). These wines were launched in the UK back in 2015 and, although Fabre is no longer at the helm, we have increased our purchases in recent years, not least because of their quality and distinctive character. Indeed, it is no coincidence that Campanha Gaúcha, this southerly swathe of Brazil bordering both Argentina and Uruguay, was awarded IP (Indicação de Procedência) status for its wines in 2021, in recognition of its well differentiated terroir.

Currently, in 2024, we have been having great success with the winery’s Três Bocas label: available as both a red and white blend, both are produced from three grape varieties and are unoaked. Later this year or early in 2025 we plan to re-launch several Trad Method sparklers, after a hiatus of several years.

How to Buy

Private buyers should view our selection below or go our SHOP, while trade buyers should email: nicholas@gobrazilwines.com