Chandon
Brazil
Chandon
Brazil
In 1973, Brazil’s Serra Gaúcha region was pinpointed on CHANDON map. With its subtropical climate, high vineyard sites and plentiful rainfall, the region already had 100 years of form in winemaking. The climate and soil had all the qualities needed to produce exceptional quality sparkling. Frédéric CHANDON de Briailles, at that time President of Moët Hennessy, and CHANDON Argentina winemaking alumnus Philippe Coulon took charge. At CHANDON Brazil, the range of microclimates are like colours in a paintbox for our winemakers.
Creation date: 1973
Estates Director: Catherine Petit
Website: www.chandon.com.br
Identity
Bom día. Come with us to CHANDON Brazil, the first wine estate in the country dedicated solely to sparkling wines.
To CHANDON’s pioneers, back in the late 1970’s, Brazil’s enormous size and variety of latitude and topography looked promising. With much of the land lying in the tropics, the answer came in the form of the mountainous south, towards the 30th parallel, in the Serra Gaúcha region, in the state of Rio Grande do Sul.
Our winery and primary vineyard are in the rolling green hills of Garibaldi. Further south in the cooler, drier hilly region of Encruzilhada do Sul is our more recent vineyard, around 250 hectares, planted in 2000.
We believe great wines are made in the vineyard. Winemaking is then a matter of allowing the vineyard to express itself.
CHANDON Brazil is unmistakably a member of the family. It’s just that it has a little carnaval in its heart.
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CHANDON RESERVE BRUT
Fresh and elegant. A vibrant, zesty classic sparkling wine. Crisp, fruity and easy to drink. Elegant and fresh aromas with notes of citrus, dried fruits and white flowers.
Our Maison signature.
Insights
“It’s funny – I initially went to Brazil in 1990 for six months to cover the harvest and settle things. Then I signed a contract for three years. That three-year contract is still running…What made me stay in Brazil is the people. There are challenges here. We’re working with a subtropical climate. It rains one day in three, which in itself is not a problem, but it means the air is very humid. We’ve done a lot by changing vineyard practices. We changed the local trend of pergola vine training, which held humidity and fostered disease, to vertical trellising, which allows air to flow more freely. We plant cover crops like oats and turnips to help keep the soil healthy and well drained. We have been certified in responsible farming.”
TOWARDS A SUSTAINABLE AND RESPONSIBLE FUTURE
We consider ourselves custodians, not owners.
Our lands give us our fruit; it is our responsibility to care for them in return. It’s our privilege to be there.
At CHANDON Brazil, our vision for sustainable viticulture is of paramount importance to us. Twenty per cent of the land we work consists of biodiversity reserves. Accordingly, we are a haven for nature, with 190 protected araucaria trees on site and a biodiversity of flora comparable to that seen in the Mata Atlântica coastal forest biome.
We are working on a variety of schemes aimed at caring for our land and environment including, cover-cropping to avoid soil erosion, rencouraging natural predators and biodiversity in the vineyards, and beneficial microbes and organisms such as earthworms in the soils. We crush our pruned branches and reincorporate them into the soil to improve drainage and health.
There is always more to do, and we embrace the challenge. At CHANDON Brazil, we are on a clear path to a greener and more ethical future.
Key figures
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1973 Date of foundation of
CHANDON Brazil -
2020 Silver Medal For CHANDON Brut
@ Vinalies Internationales 2020 championships -
775 grams
That's the weight of our glass bottle, one of the lightest. It represents a reduction of 197 tons of glass per year at CHANDON Brazil.
Drink responsibly.