Giuliano Elias Pereira
Researcher, Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation-Embrapa Grape & Wine/Tropical Semi-Arid, Brazil
Title: Characteristics of tropical wines produced in a new latitude of Brazil
Biography
Biography: Giuliano Elias Pereira
Abstract
Wines are traditionally produced in temperate climate zones, in the North and South Hemispheres, with one harvest per year, between August and October in the North, and between December and March-April in the South. Tropical wines are a new concept of vitiviniculture that is being developed in Thailand, India, Myanmar, Venezuela and Northeast of Brazil. The new Brazilian frontier is located between 8-9º latitudes of the South Hemisphere. Grapes and wines from this region present peculiar characteristics, being possible to harvest grapes and winemaking all months of the year, and one vine produces two times per year, due to the high temperature, with annual average of 26.5ºC, high solar radiation and water availability for irrigation. Tropical wines from Brazil have presenting interesting chemical characteristics, because metabolite profile can change according to the harvest date. The temperature during maturation and harvest has a high importance for grapes and wine composition. For the first period, the maximum temperatures are about 30-32ºC for days, and the minimum 18-20ºC at nights, having an interesting amplitude for grapes. In the other hand, for the second period of production, high temperatures are observed, between 32-35º for nights and 40-45ºC during days. It can be observed wines presenting different characteristics if they were elaborated in the first or second periodos of the year. Works are been carried out to understand effects of the season on grape and wine characteristics. Results are presented and discussed, showing mainly phenolic and aromatic compound evolution according to the harvest date.