To offer a product of excellence, care begins with the raw material: the grape! For this reason, Salton invests in agricultural research and management, in tune with the cultivation of excellent grapes, which are fundamental to the final result of its products.
Exploring the benefits of different terroirs for the production of grapes used in its wines, sparkling wines, frizzantes, teas and juices, the winery works with grapes from the main producing regions of Rio Grande do Sul estate.
Old formation, reddish color, drained and with great depth.
900m
10°C
1405mm
31°
As in Serra Gaúcha, at first, the production involved hybrid grapes. Recently, the great potential of fine grapes to make wine was discovered due to their aromatic intensity with hints of flowers and fruit.
This is one of the coldest and highest regions in the country. During winter, frosts are common and sometimes it snows. The altitude benefits grape production due to the constancy of wind, which helps to dry the vineyards during harvest. The maturation period in this area is greater than in the other regions, which provides higher concentrations of color and flavor to the fruit.
Set of mild to moderate ripples, known as thighs, covered with undergrowth and herbaceous.
500m
13°C
1400mm
31°
The Serra do Sudeste region, located next to Campanha Gaúcha, has excelled in the production of wine with short/medium term longevity and has also excellent base wines for sparkling wine and white sweet light wine. The main producing cities in the region include Candiota, Encruzilhada do Sul, Hulha Negra, Pinheiro Machado and Piratini.
Featuring the characteristics of the terroir found in this region with slight slopes, sandy soil with little rainfall, the vine grows in naturally ideal climate for the production of grapes with high sugar content and excellent concentration of color and aroma, which results in wines with high concentration of color and good structure.
Well drained sandy soil with gentle undulation.
200m
13°C
1300mm
31°
Campanha Gaúcha, on the border between Brazil and Uruguay, has the potential to become one of the greatest Brazilian wine regions. Characterized by a long dry period from the flowering to the harvest, which is ideal for the cultivation of vines and grape ripening. Its topography consists of gentle rolling prairies, a factor that helps the use of machinery and the implementation of different techniques in the vineyard.
The grapes grown in this region are characterized by high alcohol content due to its excellent thermal amplitude, with plenty sunlight and dry climate, which favors the development of the vine and the ideal ripening of the grapes.
In 2010, Vinícola Salton acquired an area of 450 hectares in this region for growing varieties for the production of still and sparkling wines. The varieties include Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Gamay, Marselan, Merlot, Pinot Grigio, Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc, Tannat and Teroldego.
Stony, shallow, with higher organic matter content. Recycled and new derivatives of rocks.
650m
10°C
1700mm
31°
Most of the immigrants coming from Italy to fulfill the dream of fertile, rich and resource land, settled in the region where Serra Gaucha is today. They used their knowledge about how to farm the land in their homeland to provide food for their consumption and survival.
By bringing cuttings of vines they transformed Serra Gaucha into the largest wine center in Brazil, standing out for the production of high quality sparkling wines. The terroir found in the region originates grapes with high acidity levels, freshness and great flavors.
The main features of this region include soils with good drainage, which provide the ideal conditions for the production of still and sparkling wines with light body and intense aromas, made mainly from Riesling, Chardonnay, Merlot, Moscato and Pinot Noir.
The grapes are harvested and placed in plastic boxes of 20Kg of capacity. This boxes are shallow so the grapes arrive in the winery with no ruptures, therefore with no fermentation happening. This allows a controlled fermentation with selected yeasts.
The plantation is made using the cordon training and lyre systems for vine training, allowing a better sunlight position, and, therefore, originating great quality grapes. The short pruning (spur) is conducted aiming a less quantity and more quality production. Green pruning and clusters thinning allow the production of healthier grapes with a more homogeneous maturation.
The white grapes, along with the skins and the seeds, are pumped to the pneumatic presses where, at low pressure, the must is extracted carefully. The must is then fermented at low temperature – about 17°C – to preserve the primary aromas and to promote the formation of pleasant new aromas. The must undergoes vacuum filtration to eliminate the yeasts and to allow a more homogeneous fermentation with selected yeasts.
After the removal of the stalks and with the grapes already crushed, they are pumped to a fermentation tank where the selected yeasts are immediately added. The fermentation time in contact with the skins may vary from four days to make red young fresh wines to 15 days to make full-bodied wines and good for aging. The fermentation temperature in around 29°C, providing wines with good aromas, color and flavors.
Concerning this part of the winemaking process, investments in technology make Salton a reference in modernity among the wine industry. A modern German technology machine washes and sterilizes the bottles. Another machine, imported from Italy, removes the air from the bottles, fills with nitrogen which is immediately removed for subsequent filling with the wine. This process is responsible for healthier and more aromatic wines because of the total absence of oxygen in the bottle.
After the fermentation process, the white wines are kept in stainless steel tanks at low temperature. The young red wines are aged in stainless steel tanks or in oak barrels, while more structures red wines are first aged in the tanks, then in 225 liters oak barrels and later in the bottle.