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Story & Photography by Manos Angelakis
Rolling hills covered with rows upon rows of vine trellises. Medium altitude, cool climate. Town names such as Garibaldi, New Pádua, Nova Roma, Monte Belo… Am I in one of Italy’s wine making regions?
Actually, I am in Brazil’s Serra Gaúcha, in the Vale dos Vinhedos. As I mentioned in a previous article (see Brazilian Wines, an Overview), I am visiting the wineries that make almost 90% of the better Brazilian wines, in a region that was populated by Italian emigrants in the mid-19th century. My hosts speak Brazilian Portuguese, but their family names, toponymics, winemaking and hospitality are purely Italian.
The first winery we visited, right across the way from Villa Europa, the luxury hotel at which we were staying, is Miolo, the headquarters of the Miolo Group, a producer of wines, including fine wines, with vineyards in Vale dos Vinhedos, Vale do São Francisco, Campanha, Cima da Serra, and Serra Gaúcha.
Giuseppe Miolo, a grape-grower, arrived in Brazil from Italy in 1897. He purchased a piece of land, now known as Lote 43, in Vale dos Vinhedos, built a stone home (which is still being used as a trattoria for company events) and planted grapes.
This is a very popular, in Brazil, large-volume producer that already exports some of their best wines to the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, Switzerland and other European markets. They produce a number of still wines including an Ultra Premium, and an Iconic wine, and we were lucky enough to taste most of them. They also produce sparkling wines, by both the champenoise method and the Asti method, which are fruity and balanced, and very approachable. The family did not start to bottle and market their own wines until 1994. The family’s origins are in viticulture; therefore, they understand very well that the key to quality wine is in high quality grapes. They use a simple espalier growing system, with low yields per vine, and plant certified varietals from the best European nurseries. The winery is state-of-the-art, with stainless steel for fermentation, and French and American oak barriques, made in a cooperage on-premises, for aging. Michel Rolland, the esteemed oenologist, consults with the Miolo Group since 2003.
On the red side, I liked very much the 2002 Lote 43, Miolo’s iconic wine. This is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, made only in exceptional vintages, in a very limited production. I also thought that Cuvée Giuseppe, the ultra premium wine named after the company’s founder is outstanding; it is another Cabernet/Merlot blend, aged in French oak. Both these wines are certainly cellar-worthy. From the Reserva Miolo, the premium line, I thought that the Merlot and Pinot Noir monovarietals were well-priced everyday wines, though young and a bit overly astringent (a year or so in cellar is certainly recommended). All these, plus monovarietal Cabernet and Chardonnay reservas, and the entry level red select (Seleção Tinto), white select (Seleção Branco) both assemblages from different varietals, plus the Miolo Gamay, were drinkable but not remarkable; these are all wines made from the Vale dos Vinhedos vineyards.
From the Campos de Cima da Serra high altitude vineyards of Raul A. Randon, comes RAR, a Cabernet (60%)/Merlot (40%) blend that is a bit on the quirky side. As I mentioned to the Wines from Brazil executives during my visit, I think that for Brazilian producers, blends make for much more successful wines than monovarietals.
In the Campanha vineyards, Miolo has planted a number of mostly Iberian varietals, Tempranillo, Touriga Nacional, Alfrocheiro and Tinta Roriz as well Tannat, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Grigio. They all come under the Quinta do Seival label. I liked the Castas Portuguesas (blend of 1/3 Touriga Nacional, 1/3 Alfrocheiro and 1/3 Tinta Roriz), the Tannat, and the Sauvignon Blanc. I found the Pinot Grigio a bit light. The Tempranillo was classically styled i.e. it will require considerable cellaring before it becomes enjoyable.
In the vineyards in Vale do São Francisco, Miolo grows the grapes that are used in  the Terranova line. The top of the line here is a Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz blend that is complex, full bodied and robust. Since this is a warm climate vineyard, they also grow Muscat grapes that are used in making the light, sweet Moscatel Espumante, a fresh sparkling wine with a very floral nose, a dry white Muskadel, and a fine, late harvest Muscat desert wine.
Having all that pomace from their grapes, allows Miolo to also produce their own Grappa, a delicate distillate from the fermented pomace, with a flowery and fruity nose.
© May 2008 LuxuryWeb Magazine. All rights reserved.
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