Sao Francisco Valley Wineries

Almost all wine is grown in temperate latitudes where vines go dormant in winter. Here, at about nine degrees south in the caatinga, they do not - with irrigation from the Sao Francisco and constant heat, the vine can be pruned to crop on a schedule rather than a season, producing more than one harvest a year and allowing growers to pick in any month. The district around Petrolina and Juazeiro grows syrah, cabernet, moscato and tempranillo, along with the table grapes and mangoes that are the larger business, and several estates run tours through the vineyards and cellars. Sparkling moscato is what the region does best. It is an unusual thing to see: irrigated green rows running to the horizon out of dry thorn scrub.

The main sights

• Vines nine degrees from the equator - cropping without a dormant season.
• More than one harvest a year - picking scheduled by pruning, not by climate.
• Irrigation out of the caatinga - green rows against dry thorn scrub.
• Sparkling moscato - the style the valley makes best.

When to go

All year, since harvests run continuously. Two days.

Practical notes

Heat is severe and tours run early or late. Estates are spread across the irrigated district and need a car or an organised trip, with booking. The wines are decent rather than remarkable, and the interest is largely in how they are grown.

Nearby

Petrolina and Juazeiro face each other across the river; Serra da Capivara is north.