Wines of Brasil puts its Best Foot Forward in Toronto

by Erin

Our mom says it’s always good to try new things, so when the Wines of Brasil sent out an invite for a tasting downtown Toronto, we couldn’t think of a better way to spend a couple hours on a Tuesday afternoon.

Brazil is a burgeoning wine region; the website says it’s been around for 125 years or so, but like many wine regions, didn’t start getting really serious until the 90‘s. The country’s already made major inroads in Germany, the UK, the US & China, but its exposure in Ontario is pretty much nil, and winemakers are anxious to change that.

With about 88-thousand hectares of land under vine, it appears everything grows — and goes — here: from Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc to Bordeaux varietals and even Aragonez (a.k.a Tempranillo) and Tannant (the inky, tannic wine found in Madiran).

And there’s a real focus on sparkling wine production, that to us, based on this tasting, seems like the ace in the Brazilian wine industry’s deck. We tasted one pretty floral and fruity sparkler from newcomer Decima Groupo: a Prosecco that reminded us of an Italian Moscato d’Asti — lovely nose of melon and white peach, with sweet orchard fruit flavours. If it does make it to the Ontario market, the winery estimates it’ll be priced around the $15 mark.

Another interesting sparkling came from a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. The colour of salmon-orange, it held oxidative & funky notes of bruised apple pulp & yeast. Not our cup of tea — but certainly there’s a market for it in old-style champagne lovers.

There’s currently 6 major wine regions in Brazil — with 5 of them starting around 1,500 km south of Rio de Janeiro. Relatively close to the Atlantic ocean (about 2-3 hours drive for most), temperatures range from 30 degrees in summer, to 10 degrees in winter.

Despite decent growing conditions — and serious government support to promote their wines, I think if Brazil breaks through the iron curtain of the LCBO, they still may have a bit of an uphill battle on their hands.

Many of the wines we tried seemed to come in at decent price points of $15 – $25 — but quite a few were estimated to be in the $50 plus category. And try as I might, I didn’t really many were all that worth it. Many reds we tried lacked in structure and complexity. Those that were of interest also came with a $50 price tag, and we’re of the mind we could find better for less — and likely from Brazil’s neighbours. Chile and Argentina seem to have become ingrained in the Ontario wine lover’s conscious as the go-to’s for quality wines, often at modest prices. Stiff competition, to be sure.

I’d like to see Brazil get into this market (and I’m told some very favourable meetings on this trip with the LCBO suggests Brazilian wines will hit Ontario shelves sooner rather than later), and it will also be very interesting to see how this country develops over time. There’s nothing suggest Brazil won’t be a a serious player in the world of wine, and if winemakers keep one eye on quality and the other on value, we can only lift a glass and say “Saude!”