Location dynamics of the wine making industry in Rio Grande do Sul and Vale do São Francisco

Abstract

The purpose of this work was to identify which location variables influenced on the decision made by wine producers to expand wine industry to new regions of the state of Rio Grande do Sul (Serra do Sudeste and Campanha, south of Brazil) and Vale do São Francisco (northeast of Brazil). This research embraced 73,3 % of the producers investing in those new regions and it was developed during December, 2005, in the State of Rio Grande do Sul, and on January, 2006, in the Vale do São Francisco, northeast of Brazil using the technique of direct interviews with farmers. Results showed that Brazilian wine producers regional expansion was subjected to the spatial distribution of productive resources, standing out the following factors: weather and soil conditions; raw material quality (grapes), manager behavior and land availability. This research showed that wine makers are concerned with the quality of the final product (wine), which depends on the grape quality, soil and weather conditions of the productive region. Indeed, the need or concern to achieve a higher level of quality forced the viticulture to expand and look for new productive areas.