Jul 25 2009
Innovation, from nil to hundred in no time, the Miolo Winery
I was suppose to do an internship in the Miolo Winery. But somehow it did not quite worked out the way we all wanted, anyway as I was already in Porto Alegre, Tibor Lakatos former wine maker in Brazil persuaded me to pay Miolo a visit. It would help to extend my knowledge on Brazilian wine, particularly when it comes to quality wine and it certainly did…
It was after the visit of Embrapa and thanks to Alberto Miele that I made it to the Miolo Winery which is a few miles outside of Bento Goncalves.
Stunning piece of work, superb building from outside and very impressive from inside. The winery was established in 1989 and stunning that, 20 years later the one of most impressive wineries not only in Brazil but in South America has been built. Today the winery harvests grapes from around 350 ha and makes about 7,5 million litres of wine annually. They also acquired help of one of the most famous and influential consultants, Michel Rolland who introduced the quality red wine making, the use of gravity in the winery and probably the biggest change in the vineyards from the pergola system to vertical shoot positioning (espalier). Which also cut the existing yields into half, previously making around 20 tones/ha now at least the half and less is made on average.
Adriano Miolo whose decedents come from Italy studied oenology in Mendoza and today you still could call it a family winery while it´s runed in partnership with Raul A. Randon, who made a name in the truck business (manufacturer), RAR.
Morgana (wine maker) was showing me around the vineyard first and pointing out the major differences between the pergola system and the regular vertical positioning. She said, while with the vertical you can achieve more sun and concentration in the berries the acidity tends to be lower. You can achieve a north-south exposition for the vines/grapes, and while with the pergola yields are usually higher there is more space for the branches. Today the Miolo Winery has 45 grape varieties and 17 of them are trained with the vertical shoot positioning. The harvest usually takes place between January and March, depending on variety and of course location.
Morgana was saying that in the Vale dos Vinhos the humidity is higher and cooler temperatures may give the wine more herbal and vegetal character. The soil is usually bumpy and uneven. They produce some sparkling wine here too.
In the Baiai region there is little rain, therefore irrigation is practiced muscatel sparkling wine is produced from the grapes.
In the Southern wine region of Brazil the sun intensity is higher and the level of humidity lower, the land is rather flat and more consistent fruit and also riper fruit is produced, more even quality as she called it is achieved. The hang time is also longer for the grapes in this region. In the Northern part of the wine growing region of Brazil its kind of very hot and flat, plain land, soft wines made here with low acidity the vine is growing more vigorously, hence yields can run out of control. It can easily happen that there is a second harvest in the same year. Tibor was telling me about this “phenomenon” and saying he used to harvest twice a year grapevine in the very Northern wine region of Brazil.
While I personally belong to the sceptical party I tried to figure out for myself and then with other peoples help, why is this actually good. Harvesting twice a year, don’t you dilute your quality? Well I couldn’t get an accurate explanation, another thing which I shall investigate further on in the future. Morgana was saying, the vine might have a shorter life span as you use it double the time as normal. On the other side you need also the storage capacity, (for fermenting wine, aging wine, etc.) and probably the most important question remains. Can you sell it? Tibor showed me some video on how they harvest in the North. They actually have to get rid of berries in the clusters as they´re huge (I included a similar picture made in the Itata Valley Chile on pergola system, look for yourself), and I mean huge. Green harvest in a total different way, I would say.
Morgana was telling me about some interesting vineyards sites which lay over 1000 m sea level, like the Campos da Cima, meant for Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, high quality wine. Altitude, clearly matters in most of South America. The average vineyard is 4500 vines/ha
While the winery has grapes coming from different “terroir” but it´s very expensive to transport things in a refrigerated truck, as I was hearing.
Inside of the winery the most modern and high tech equipment could thrill any wine maker in the world. Beside the grapia national Brazilian wood which is used mainly for storing wine inside you see a myriad of stainless tanks, all temperature controlled, the conic shaped stainless steel tanks, where Morgana said skin can be taken out easier and contact is better. The use of gravity is enforced by having different levels and everything set up accordingly. Nothing is left to be happening accidentally. Like prior bottling the wines get chilled as low as 5°C to see for any crystallization.
The Miolo winery has a line up of different sparkling wine, they´re the most proud of their sparkling wine made according to the traditional method. This is mainly a blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, left on the lees for 1 year and riddled manually. Walking through the winery I actually had to ware a special white dress, you can tell the winery is clean, clean, clean and stunning, absolutely high class, as some would say, you could perform a surgery on the floor.
They have a mix of French and American oak barrels, while the French comes in the so called traditional 225 l version, the American oak barrels slightly bigger in size. They´re used up to five times. While they started to make easy to appreciate, fruity, “young wines” with carbonic fermentation they also do very serious, bold and full bodied reds on the other side of the spectrum. The carbonic gas fermentation happens in 5 days said Morgana and Gamay is the chosen variety. Same as in Beaujolais. While the “icon wines” are made only in the best vintages, and with a never higher yield then 9000 kg/ha they get a cold maceration for 4 days at a temperature around 8°C. Then alcoholic fermentation happens at 25-30°C and punching down of the caps 4-6 times a day, a post maceration is completing off the fermentation at around 16°C where the juice remains in contact with the skin and the malo-lactic fermentation happens in stainless steel tanks. I was soon to taste some of the most serious red wines made in Brazil (see tasting notes/tasted wines) I never believed but I was proven wrong.
Beside all this serious work of creating Brazilian Quality wines, the Miolo Winery has not forgotten the tourism side and beside fully equipped for visitors they opened a brand new hotel opposite of the winery. The Spa do Vinho with more then 100 rooms. Spa hotel in the sense of healing with water (sanitas per aqua) but actually shouldn’t it be called rather healing with wine/vino as they have different therapy products from the “wine cosmetic” industry.
Nevertheless the Miolo winery stands for quality and an outstanding example what can be done in 20 years. The investment continues and this should further develop the quality of the wines, which are already from very good to stunning (don´t forget it´s in Brazil! Land of casacha and caipirinha, but wine?!), the Miolo Winery is determined to deliver quality and be an ambassador of good Brazilian wine in the world. Of course there is an awful lot of technology involved in actually making the wine. I haven’t seen it but was told later reverse osmosis, micro-oxygenation and a lot more, all in the name of the wine is used here as well. Technology helps to make a good wine, but it’s not everything.
Address:
Vinicola Miolo Ltda.
www.miolo.com.br
Miolo
Miolo Gamey 2009
Purple colour with medium intensity, made in the south, lovely clean fruit, strawberry CO2 maceration, crisp easy to appreciate, since 14 days in the bottle. Refreshing strawberry hint of spice, fresh and nice.
Quinta do Seival 2005
3 port grapes used Castas Portuguesa
Deep colour, intense nose, sweet ripe fruit, berries, with good oak, herbs/spices rather complex, incredible ripe base material. Good. “new oak French” concentration full of ripe herbs and stunning drive, acidity slightly moderate on the palate, soft tannin, however. Notes of floral, violet, rose, good skills.
Quinta do Seval 2005
American oak, South
Deep colour, herbs with a green surface yet sweet vanilla concentration in the background. Slight peppery, character a weird mix. Herbs and cassis with a greenish vegetal clash. Green vs. American oak. What’s the story with the American oak?!
Cuvée Giuseppe 2004
Cabernet Sauvignon (60%) Merlot (40%)
1 year in French oak, exported to Europe. 37 Reals I was told (ca. 18USD)
Very different from the previous one, Cabernet yells loud and clear, deep colour, ripe herbs with a sweet attack. Fabulous fruit, blackberry, cassis, bramble with some leafy cedar notes, medium tannin, drive on the palate yet well balanced. Smoky, black fruit, lovely finish, ripe, good composition, made from 700 m altitude.
RAR 1000m altitude Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 2004
Aged in American oak
Deep colour, herbs with a ripe cedar fresh notes, rich cassis on the palate. Rich and full, ripe texture, more full on the palate then on the nose. Fabulous finish, sweet herbs rich, complex. American oak is doing a better job here.
Lote 43, 2004
Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot 1 year in a mix of American and French oak
Made just in the best vintages. Deep colour, need time to open up, serious wine, deep concentration, body and weight, undeniable. Ripe fruit, sweet spices and black fruit on the palate, complex and with weight. Good density, future promising….
Millesime 2006 Brut
Pinot Noir and Chardonnay 50-50%
1 year on the lees, traditional method.
Pale colour, good mousse, small bubbles. Fresh notes of citrus and lemon with a hint of green apple on the nose. Some creamy texture developing on the nose. Dry yet I suspect some residual sugar, apricot and fresh citrus notes on the palate, pleasant and very refreshing, medium full, correct finish.
