Evaluation of Potential Geographical Indication: The Peverella Wines in the Caminhos de Pedra, Serra Gaúcha

Abstract

This study addresses the potential of geographical indication (GI) in the Caminhos de Pedra, a tourist route already consolidated in the Serra Gaúcha. This qualitative and exploratory study aims to evaluate the potential of recognizing wines made with the Peverella variety as a GI. The itinerary began in 1992 and revisits historical, cultural and architectural contributions of Italian immigration. The production of grapes and wines and sparkling wines with Peverella is one of the highlights. This variety was the first white Vitis vinifera brought by immigrants in 1875 and now it´s considered endangered due to its low national productivity. The Caminhos de Pedra accounts for 90% of the national production of the Peverella grape. The study was based on the SEBRAE and Inovates methodology and in the methodology proposed by Flores and Falcade, using primary and secondary data, in addition to triangulation for validation. Physical and immaterial factors were evaluated, such as history, culture, terroir, the know-how of the residents and edaphoclimatic characteristics. The results indicate potential for a GI. Future studies can further explore these results and this study can be used as a basis for evaluating potential GIs from other regions and products.