Familia Salton Intenso Cabernet Franc 2018
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This story begins in Italy, in 1878, when Antonio Domenico Salton left the town of Cison di Valmarino, in the Veneto region, searching for better opportunities in Brazil. He settled in the Italian colony of Vila Isabel, today known as the city of Bento Gonçalves, in Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil.
The company was formally established in 1910, when the brothers Paulo, Angelo, João, José, Cesar, Luis and Antonio gave an entrepreneurial touch to the business of their father, the Italian immigrant Antonio Domenico Salton, who made wine informally, like most Italian immigrants did that time. The brothers started to cultivate grapes and produce wines, sparkling wines and vermouths, under the name “Paulo Salton & Irmãos”, in the downtown of Bento Gonçalves city.
Portugese colonists brought wine producing grapes to Brazil as far back as the mid 16th century but the mainly humid, tropical environment proved to be a challenge for the early settlers. Though it is a large country, only a small portion, towards its southern end near Uruguay, is within the ideal latitudes for wine production. Brazil has about the same acreage under vine as its South American wine-producing neighbors, Chile and Argentina, but most of it is for table grapes. About 10% of the land is Vitis vinifera, the wine producing species.
Brazil has enjoyed consistent quality advancements since the 1970s and 1980s, largely due to investments by international wine companies, namely Moet & Chandon, Seagram, Bacardi, Domecq and Martini & Rossi. Serra Gaucha, a southerly coastal region of low mountains, recognized for sparkling wine production, is Brazil’s key wine region. Campanha, its neighbor, is attracting more attention for its red wines (Cabernet and Tannat) and white wines (Chardonnay).
Cabernet Franc, a proud parent of Cabernet Sauvignon, is the subtler and more delicate of the Cabernets. Today Cabernet Franc produces outstanding single varietal wines across the wine-producing world. Somm Secret—One of California's best-kept secrets is the Happy Canyon appellation of Santa Barbara. Here Cabernet Franc shines as a single varietal wine or in blends, expressing sumptuous fruit, savory aromas and polished tannins.