Lidio Carraro Winery Reports Promising Start to 2026 Grape Harvest in Brazil

Grape growers in Rio Grande do Sul have started the 2026 harvest season with optimism, expecting to match the successful results of recent years. At Lidio Carraro, a boutique winery in the region, the harvest will continue through March. Early signs from the vineyards show a regular and healthy crop with good development so far.

Juliano Carraro, commercial director at Lidio Carraro, said that the vine cycle began in a uniform and promising way. He noted that bud break was even across the vineyards, productivity is strong, and plant health is remarkable. According to Carraro, weather conditions have been favorable in all aspects up to this point, which points to a high-quality harvest. While some areas in southern Brazil experienced hailstorms earlier this year, Lidio Carraro’s vineyards were not affected. Carraro emphasized that avoiding hail damage is crucial for maintaining grape quality.

Giovanni Carraro, the winery’s head winemaker, described the 2026 vintage as developing correctly and in balance, without extreme weather events. He explained that the vines grew at the right pace and ripening has occurred at an average rate, without long periods of intense cold. This climate pattern is expected to influence the style of wines produced this year. The grapes are showing smaller berries and less vigorous plants, which typically result in wines with greater concentration and higher aromatic and polyphenolic density.

For late-ripening grape varieties, which will be harvested through March, it is still too early for final predictions. However, current trends remain positive, with expectations for above-average quality and consistent yields across several varieties.

The possibility of declaring 2026 as a “Grande Vindima,” or great vintage, is already being discussed among producers. At Lidio Carraro, this distinction is reserved for only a few exceptional years such as 2012, 2013, 2018 and 2020. Giovanni Carraro said that while expectations are high for 2026, the final decision will depend on how the harvest progresses over the next two months.

This year’s harvest also carries special significance for Lidio Carraro because it coincides with another World Cup year. The winery has a tradition linked to soccer’s biggest event; in 2014 it produced the official wines for the tournament held in Brazil, which helped raise its international profile.

As soccer fans prepare for matches around the world later this year, workers at Lidio Carraro remain focused on consistency, technical precision and respecting nature’s timing—factors they hope will lead to another memorable vintage for both local producers and wine enthusiasts beyond Brazil’s borders.