Fine Wine in Brazil – In Conversation with Thiago Mendes
Picture by Raphael Nogueira, Unsplash
Thiago Mendes moved to London in 2003 to study at London College of Fashion, after working in fashion in Brazil. Fascinated by London’s wine culture, he began studying with the WSET and finished the Diploma in 2012. In 2007 he became the first International Wine Challenge Ambassador for Brazil and Mexico. He and Paulo Brammer co-founded Eno Cultura wine school in Brazil in 2013 , which also runs events and tastings. In 2017, Eno Cultura was named Wine Educator of the Year by the WSET.
ARENI
What’s a fine wine for you?
Thiago Mendes
Fine wine for me is a wine that expresses itself, showing its natural influences in such a way where no one needs to explain it. It expresses itself in such a way that needs no introduction. It is not mass produced.
ARENI
Where and how is Fine Wine distributed in Brazil?
Thiago Mendes
There are a few restaurants in Sao Paolo that recognize those fine wine customers. Sometimes they do have those wines available. Sometimes they allow their customers to bring their own wines. A lot of companies would rather buy from the importers or buy from abroad and bring it over to the restaurants. That’s why restaurants are more focused on entry level wines or why they can have a better margin. There are a few restaurants where you would find great wines, but highly priced.
What we are seeing this year with fine wine consumers not being able to travel abroad because of the lockdown is there’s a shortage of Champagne in Brazil.
Those consumers have their own airplanes. When they go to New York, for example, they buy wines in New York, they put it on the airplane, bring it over to San Paolo, that’s done. But what is interesting about those consumers is that they don’t want to be seen drinking those wines. They don’t really post on social media. They love to share those wines with their friends in a very private way.
ARENI
Talking about Bordeaux in that fine wine environment, what would be the main strengths and weaknesses of the Bordeaux region?
Thiago Mendes
I think that the strength is Bordeaux itself. It’s the image, the tradition, the quality. There are specialists who tell you what to buy, what not to buy at the price points. It’s very well organized. The difficulty is to buy those wines in Brazil or even, when you’re abroad, to bring them over. Another weakness is that there’s no presentation. There are not many events promoting the wines. There is no campaign at all. If anybody in Brazil is dying for it, they go to New York.
ARENI
Can you identify the fine wine buyers?
Thiago Mendes
Mainly doctors, lawyers, entrepreneurs,40-plus. They really want to learn more and want to make sure they are drinking the right wine. They know that good wines are expensive.
They see [wine] on TV, they see people talking about wine, posting on social media. They want to learn about wine.
These are consumers that are looking for the wine that not widely available, that is difficult to reach. Some of them just became very rich now, and they want to know what to drink, what to buy, what sort of cars to drive.
Thiago Mendes, Co-founder, Eno Cultura
ARENI
Who do they look to, to copy or learn from? Is the French way still something they are aspiring to?
Thiago Mendes
Obviously, they are into a very luxury lifestyle. They want to have a brand-new apartment, fully refurbished with all the best furniture it can have. It could be imported from either France or Italy. Some of these new rich have a beach house, a country house and an apartment either in Rio or in Sao Paulo. And for each house they have a different sort of atmosphere.
ARENI
Are there any trends that excites you when looking at the future of fine wine?
Thiago Mendes
Yes. When we think of fine wine, we think of tradition. We think about producers that have been there for like a 100, 200, 300 years. There’s a new wave of fine wine producers that do not have all these traditions behind them, but they’re able to craft great wines. The trend that consumers are expensive now is respect for the land, respect for the soil. That’s the trend that producers must not miss.
ARENI
If you could change anything about fine wine, what would it be?
Thiago Mendes
I would buy straight from the producers.
ARENI
What are your biggest hopes and concerns for 2021?
Thiago Mendes
A big concern for me is the exchange rate, because the higher the exchange rate, the more expensive the wines will become.
However, Brazilians are buying more wine, they’re drinking more wine. There’s a lot to be explored in Brazil. The rich are becoming even richer.
Thiago Mendes, Co-founder, Eno Cultura
When I started in 2013, we had three (WSET) courses. We had 30 courses in our second year and this year, in the middle of the pandemic, we had about 1,200 students. That’s about 93 courses.
This interview has been lightly edited and condensed.
For in-depth research on Fine Wine Consumers globally, see our latest publication The Future of Fine Wine Consumers 2021