Another GI for Brazil

The Brazilian Instituto Nacional da Propriedade Industrial (INPI) proudly reports the increasingly high-quality of Brazilian wines and sparkling wines.

On April 18^th, 2013 the coordinator of INPI’s Geographical Indication (GI), Mr Luiz Cláudio Dupim, handed the corresponding GI certificate to Deunir Argenta, president of the Wine Producers Association of ‘Montes Altos’ (Apromontes). Mr Dupim emphasised the importance of GIs noting that it “adds value to the product, helps to preserve traditions and boost the local economy.”

It is said that Montes Altos’s producers received a helping hand from Embrapa Uva e Vinho, as well as from Embrapa Clima Temperado, the Universidade de Caxias do Sul (UCS) and the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS).

A toast for Brazilian bubbles

Almost a decade ago we heard of the first Brazilian Geographical Indication (GI). This achievement was awarded to fine wines and sparkling wine of ‘Vale dos Vinhedos’ -- receiving a GI in the form of Indicação de Procedência (Indication of Source).

Yesterday, sparkling wine of ‘Vale dos Vinhedos’ heard from the Brazilian Instituto Nacional da Propiedade Industrial (INPI) that they will now be granted Denominação de Origem (Denomination of Origin (DO)– also known in Brazil as Appellation of Origin)) as the most valuable GI that a product may have.

The Association of Producers of Fine Wines Vale dos Vinhedos applied for this back in 2010 (posted here). A DO while more valuable it is more difficult to prove since there is the need to endorse that the region/product has special characteristics which are exclusive. This refers to the medium and environment including natural and human factors. That said, according to the Association of Producers the wine made by it “brings 130 years of history of Italian immigration in Brazil”; in 1875, Italian immigrants settled in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, in the south of Brazil. The wines that they produce are: dry red, dry white and sparkling (white and pink) wine. The variety use in the wines varies depending on the type, for instance they do use Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Pinot Noir. ‘Vale dos Vinhedos’ are the major wineries in Brazil, ranging between 12 and 14 million bottles of wine per year.

Now INPI announces that from the date of this notification the Association has a period of 60 days to pay the fee for issuance of the certificate and thus ensure the formalization of the whole process.

If I recall correctly this is the second Brazilian product that has been granted a DO (first one was to ‘Litoral Norte Gaúcho’ for rice – posted here).

Brazil: wines and sparkling wines, and it's not party time (yet!)

The Brazilian Intellectual property Office (INPI) has received another application of Geographical Indication (GI) in the form of Indication of Source/Origin (Indicação de Procedência) – the second appllication this year, first application for the year 2012 was for ‘cachaça da região de Abaíra’ (spirit from the region of Abaíra). This time, INPI was also presented with an application for a drink but another kind i.e. fine wines and sparkling wines ‘Altos Montes’ belonging to two municipalities: Flores da Cunha and Nova Pádua of Flores da Cunha from Serra Gaúcha.

Work in progress
Back in 2006, the Association of Wine Producers of ‘Altos Montes’ (Apromontes) contacted Embrapa (Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation) and over the past few years, they have worked in the geographical area in the following issues:
• survey of the historical aspects of the wine region;
• characterization of the identity of local grapes and fine wines;
• defining the regulation of use and the establishment of the control system, among others.

The products that will be using the GI ‘Altos Prados’ will be limited to:
• fine red, pink or white wine - all dry;
• fine white or pink sparkling; and
• sparkling white or pink Muscat

Cheers!