Viticulture Institutions

A.B.E. - Brazilian Oenological Association - an organization of the most important winemakers from the region of Sierra Gaucha, which promotes wines not only from this region but from all Brazil. Every October it organizes an exhibition called Avaliacao Nacional de Vinhos, which closes the Brazilian winemaking year.

EM.BRA.PA. - Brazilian Agricultural Society for Research - the main research centre is in Bento Goncalves. It is primarily focused on viticulture and is the source of Brazil's entire knowledge on wine growing and production.

E.A.F.P.J.K. - President Juscelino Kubitschek Agri-Technical School - located also in Bento Goncalves; almost all Brazilian winemakers got or are getting their knowledge and expertise there.

The Embrapa played the leading role in the preliminary study carried out for the first Brazilian Geographical Indication of Origin certification taking place in Vale dos Vinhedos (Vineyard Valley). Furthermore, it organizes projects in places like Vinhos de Montanha in the Pinto Bandeira region, Faria Lemos and the very remote Sao Francisco Valley, which lies between the Bahia and the Pernambuco regions. The Embrapa has a local centre there, which concentrates on the research in tropical viticulture and harvesting in semiarid areas.