Wine Origin Certification

Vale dos Vinhedos (The Valley of Vineyards) has started a new era of Brazilian national viticulture. A new method of control was introduced allowing the origin of the wines to be certified by the INPI (Instituto Nacional da Propriedade Industrial). Since 2002, vineyards which have complied with a number of criteria set by the Regulatory Committee for proving the origin of the Vale dos Vinhedos wines, have been entitled to indicate the origin of their wines on bottle labels. The labels of wines which meet the corresponding requirements can contain the following information: "Appellation of origin (aprovale): Vale dos Vinhedos".

This indication refers to a higher degree of protection of manufacturing, organization and marketing of Brazilian wines. These products represent the fourth generation of Brazilian wines. The clear geographic specification enhances the status of these wines, whose quality is well above the regional average. What is more, the new system contributes to the promotion of this vine-growing region and to the development of vine cultivation in general. The high quality of the local grapes is increasingly distinguishable from the average produced in other areas. The number of high-quality vineyards using modern technologies is growing.

As a result of new investments, new job opportunities are being created in the regions where vine is grown and processed. This situation is also marked by the expansion of wine tourism and the improvement of accommodation services. The wineries in Vale dos Vinhedos have been reporting a noticeable growth in tourism, be it through an increasing interest of travel agencies or individual travellers. The environment has become an issue of greater concern now that both private and public organizations have agreed to share responsibility for environmental protection and to work on further regional development of Vale dos Vinhedos collectively.

The registered appellation of origin identifying products from Vale dos Vinhedos is an example of an innovative and literally pioneering move towards the enhancement of Brazilian production. It could be an example for agricultural product and beef producers, as the quality of their products equally depends on the area where the cultivation or breeding takes place. Other areas can follow suit and try to protect the quality of their products by proving their origin, too.

The geographic specification helps private family enterprises to find new resources and to embark on a new programme towards modern high-quality Brazilian production.

All territories whose waters flow into the Pedrinho stream are part of Vale dos Vinhedos. The region also includes three territories in the northeast of the Rio Grande do Sul state: Bento Conçalves, Garibaldi and Monte Belo do Sul, covering a total area of 81 km².

Vine grapes and their products have certain taste characteristics that are determined by the natural processes and the observance of technological rules. These specific properties contribute to the overall quality of the wine and affect its ageing. As a result, wines produced in different areas through the same processes acquire their own specific qualities. Threrefore, by specifying the origin of the wine it ispossible to identify individual features of different production areas and to prove the genuineness of the given product.

The production of high-quality wines in some Brazilian regions is determined by the local ecosystem. These geographic indications make it possible to distinguish one wine from another.

This alternative is part of the Industrial Property Act of 1996. By passing this law, Brazil became the first country to ensure legal protection through implementing registered appellation of geographic origin of natural products. Several countries, especially in Europe, have followed the example of Brazilian vine-growers by implementing appellation of origin.

The association of high-quality wine producers from Vale dos Vinhedos was founded in 1995 by six vine-growers from the region between Bento Conçalves, Garibaldi and Monte Belo do Sul. Their main target was to support the development of the existing quality and to acquaint the general Brazilian public with the beautiful Vale dos Vinhedos region. The association has decided to achieve this objective by legalizing the geographic indication of Vale dos Vinhedos.

The first steps towards the appellation were taken in 1997 in cooperation with the group EMBRAPA - GRAPES AND WINE at the University of Caxias do Sul. The new clause was prepared on the basis of the Industrial Property Act N9.279/96, where in Article 176 and 182 this subject is discussed in a much greater detail than in any corresponding passages of Act N5.772/72 that had been in force earlier. The new Act N9.279 defines the rights and duties with regard to the industrial property and introduces the notion of geographic appellation, which makes it easier to acknowledge and to legalize the protection both in domestic and international markets.

According to Article N.176 of the Industrial Property Act, these are the properties that make geographic appellation part of the appellation of origin.

By producing the legal definition of the elements of the specific regulation, INPI (Instituto Nacional da Propriedade Industrial) has provided access to the rules governing the identification of geographical origin in Brazil (INPI 2000).

The first result of the joint action taken by the union APROVALE and the group EMBRAPA - UCS (Caxias do Sul University) was the publication of the book VINEYARDS VALLEY GEOGRAPHICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF THE REGION, which was produced with a significant support from FAPERGS-Fundacao de Apoio and Pesquisa do RGS. In this book professor Ivanira Falcada and the researchers of the Embrapa group demarcated the Vale dos Vinhedos region, described its topography and climatic conditions, and partly surveyed the local soil types.

Other legal requirements for the geographic indication that were set in Resolution N075/2000 in response to the proposals of the INPI chairman are the following: The existence of an institution - Regulatory committee - that ensures and organizes the support, maintenance and protection of the activities relating to the appellation of origin and supervises the observance of the appellation rules. In this way a control system is created that is the holder of all the exclusive appellation-related rights. APROVALE has been calling for such a controlling organization since it was established.

The rules governing the appellation of origin in Vale dos Vinhedos cover the production, control and marketing aspects, such as:

1. Demarcation of the production area. Only the vineyards situated within the given area may become members of APROVALE and as such apply for the yearly certification of origin.

2. Authorised wines: 10 kinds of red wine and 10 kinds of white wine.

3. The maximum output is limited to 150 hectolitres per hectare.

4. The origin of grapes. At least 85% of the grapes used for the production of the IPVV wines must be grapes that were grown in the authorized area.

5. The following products are authorized each harvesting season: dry red wine, dry white wine, dry rosé, light wine, sparkling moscatel, natural sparkling wine and alcoholised wine.

6. The production, bottling and maturing of the IPVV wines must take place within the authorized area.

7. Production control. The Regulatory Committee controls harvest acknowledgement and makes out product declarations. In addition to that there are other operational checks that ensure the protection of the controlled products.

8. Chemical quality check. The wines must comply with the Brazilian standards especially in terms of the admissible limits of acids and sulphur oxides.

9. Wine-tasting test. Only the wines meeting the requirements defined in the eight clauses above are eligible for the IPVV certificate. Such wines are then put to anonymous wine-tasting tests conducted by the wine-tasting committee. The committee consists of three members of the EMBRAPA group and two members of APROVALE. The wines are tasted by standardized wine-tasting methods; a procedure is established in case opinions differ. The results of the tests are sent to the wine expert in charge.

10. The findings are regularly submitted to the Regulatory Committee, which carries out its own checks. The members of the Committee are vine-growers and people who represent research, education and sponsors.

11. Important information for the customers: The label of the product holding the appellation of origin reads:

INDICACÃO DE PROCEDENCIA
VALE DOS VINHEDOS

The wine is also provided with a control seal on the bottle neck cover, and a code and logo of the Regulatory Committee in the bottle neck.

12. Respectful attitude towards geographical indication. Those who use IPVV are forbidden to designate their products with another geographic indication established in other countries or in Brazil.

Geographical indication brings about the opportunity to support wine research by means of a set of positive implications in the following areas:

a) Production in the given region

b) Marketing

c) Legal protection