Vineyard Landscape in Vale dos Vinhedos: Pressure and Protection

The region with Origin Indication Vale dos Vinhedos (IPVV) is located in the cities of Bento Gonçalves, Garibaldi and Monte Belo do Sul. It was established in November 2002, through an act of Instituto Nacional de Propriedade Industrial, according to Resolução INPI Nº. 75, of 2000, and Law Nº. 9.279 of 1996. The changes on the grape growing and wine making in the last 15 years, with the expansion of grapevines Vitis viníferas cultivation, the installation of several modern family wine companies, making wine with competitive quality, among other aspects, have enabled the implementation of concepts of Geographical Indications. The (re) cognition of the wine from the Vale dos Vinhedos region is the result, mainly, of the action of the Associação dos Produtores de Vinhos Finos (Winemakers Association) of Vale dos Vinhedos (APROVALE), established in 1995. For this, they were employed all the media and enotourism was the most efficient way to create a national identity for the wines of the Origin Indication Vale dos Vinhedos. The effects can be seen in the geographical space and landscape of the region. Among several effects, we can point out the surge in the price of land, generating real estate speculation, which already existed in the expansion of the adjacent urban areas. For protecting the vine growing and the wine landscape, by suggestion of technicians and through APROVALE pressure a Provisional Commission was formed in Bento Gonçalves, in 2001 on, in accordance with the law, to regulate the actions in the area Vale dos Vinhedos and to treat of a Master to establish guidelines for the use of land, in the occasion, in Brasil, although in that time this was only required for cities. The commission understood that it should propose a Rural Master Plan for the entire city. A multidisciplinary technical commission was hired to set up the above-mentioned plan. Thus, in 2006, a municipal law will come into effect to govern the use of land in the rural areas of Bento Gonçalves and, consequently, giving legal bases to protect the viticulture and vineyard landscape in Vale dos Vinhedos.