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.