(June 2018) The first view of Miolo Winery almost takes your breath away. It seems like a fairytale winery with its impressive gates and tall tower, all nestled amongst flowing vineyards and sleeping mountains filled with fog. I took this photo of Miolo Winery from my hotel room on the first morning of my visit to Brazilian wine country. Since I arrived late at night, I had no idea what I would see when I opened the curtains in the morning, but this was the view. At the time, I didn’t know it was Miolo Winery, but was very pleased to learn I would visit it the following day.
Miolo Winery in Southern Brazil, Serra Gaucha Wine Region
Miolo does not disappoint, because it is a very professional winery, ranked as one of the largest in Brazil. Due to its size, Miolo produces a wide variety of wine, ranging from high-end luxury brands, to mid-priced premium, and entry-level wines. They make a wine for every pocket book. Indeed their tasting room is packed with visitors everyday, who arrive on buses to enjoy winery tours and tastings, thus allowing Miolo to achieve over 300,000 wine tourists per year.
The View from the Top of Miolo Tower
We were welcomed to Miolo by Anderson Tirloni, Export Manager, who provided a tour of the facilities beginning with an elevator ride to the top of the tower. The view of the vast property with picnic ground and lake was very impressive. So were the demonstration vineyards, which included a wide variety of different grape varietals for visitors to examine.
View of Miolo Grounds from Top of Tower
Impressive Winemaking Facilities
Due to its large size, the winemaking facilities at Miolo are quite expansive. We donned protective clothing, including head covers and smocks for the tour, but I don’t think we would have won any fashion competitions (see photo). I was especially impressed with the size of the laboratory, where we met one of the enologists.
Dressed to Tour Miolo Winemaking Facility
Altogether Miolo farms over 1200 hectares of vineyards and produces around 15 million liters of wine per year. They have four different winemaking facilities, and multiple winemakers. Michel Rolland has been a consulting winemaker in the past. Miolo also owns the old Almaden winery that was established in Brazil in the 1970’s. They continue to produce some of the original brands from that facility.
Expansive Tasting of Miolo Wines
Anderson had organized a large tasting of Miolo wines, which allowed us to understand the wide range of their wine brands and styles. Some of my favorites included:
- Miolo Milliseme Brut 2008 – a beautifully crafted sparkling wine with ripe apple, toast, creamy persistent mousse, crisp acidity, and a touch of minerality. Chardonnay and pinot noir made in the traditional method – 90 points
- Miolo Quinta do Seival Portuguese Blend 2015 – a blend of Tinta Roriz and Touriga Nacional. Black in color with mixed dark berries, spice, tobacco, cedar, and violets. Concentrated and complex – 91 points
- Miolo Cuvee Giuspepe Red Blend 2015 – A blend of cabernet sauvignon and merlot aged in 100% new French oak. Richly textured with ripe cassis, red plum, and tobacco – 92 points
