2011 Dao Sul Rio Sol Cabernet Shiraz, Vinibrasil, San Francisco Valley

Dao Sul Vinibrasil

Vale do Sao Francisco

Vale do São Francisco is a small but emerging wine region in the eastern Brazil state of Bahia, in the “extreme” vitcultural latitude of just 9°S (considering that traditional viticulture activity around the globe falls between the latitude bands of 30°S and 45°S).

This is an exceptionally hot and arid valley, and the only wine region in Brazil where irrigation is necessary and permitted. At these tropical latitudes it perhaps unsurprising that the vines undergo a 120- to 130-day cycle yielding two prolific harvests a year. Pruning and other vineyard-management techniques are widely used to try and limit the output.

Temperatures are high – 20 ̊C in winter and 31 ̊C in summer on average. In these hot and arid conditions only hardy grapes such as Alicante Bouschet, Syrah, Tempranillo, Touriga Nacional and Cabernet Sauvignon can survive, as do Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, Malvasia and Moscato, the latter for a Charmat-method sparkler.

Shiraz & Cabernet Sauvignon

Shiraz/Cabernet (or Cabernet/Shiraz, depending on which is the dominant variety) can be described as Australia's archetypal red wine blend. The blend can trace its roots back to 1865, when the famous Dr Guyot recommended it for the sunbaked vineyards of Provence. It became popular in the early 1960s and 1970s and came about largely due to the high demand for red wines and that fact there there was not enough Cabernet Sauvignon to meet this. At this time Shiraz was widely regarded as inferior to Cabernet Sauvignon and was still being grubbed up in Australian vineyards up until the mid 1980s.

The fleshiness and richness of Australian Shiraz acts as perfect foil for the more tannic and angular Cabernet Sauvignon and the blend is often matured in American oak, which adds notes of vanilla and spice. The proportions in the blend vary from 50/50 to 80/20 in some cases. It is seen across the whole quality spectrum in Australia and the blend is now been used in Languedoc Roussillon in France as well as in South Africa and California.