Cristiano Zorzan

Winemaker, Aracuri Fine Wines
Having been around wine all his life since his grandfather owns vineyards in southern Brazil, Cristiano Zorzan has decided to devote himself to this realm. After he graduated from the Enology by the Federal Institute of Education in Viticulture and Enology in Bento Gonçalves, Brazil, he really discovered how special wine is. During the Enology College he held scholarship for the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq), in the project “Geographical Appellation of Wines”. He developed his projects in the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa), unit Embrapa Grape and Wine. In order to gain international experience, he accepted a 2-year specialization at winemaking in New Zealand and Australia. Also, he successfully fulfilled his job as a Second Assistant Winemaker in California, United States of America. He joined Aracuri Fine Wines in September of 2009, as a Winemaker.

When asked about what makes Aracuri Wines so special, Cristiano said, “High altitude is a gem, so we grabbed this chance to make the fields up the mountain to be a known and important Wine Region in Brazil. The cool nights and the strong sun radiation are favorable for the vineyards every day, preserving the delicate flavors in Pinot Noir, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay. The decomposed deep soils and the low rainfall in the maturation phase give us a great grape ripeness, high sugar and excellent phenolic maturation, which makes us achieve our objectives. At Aracuri Fine Wines we use traditional and technological winemaking techniques to preserve the fruity character of our terroir. Our ultimate goal is to create elegant, complex wines that are true to their terroir.”

Winemaker CRQ-V 05201993