Brazil’s main wine region may well be what you least expect from the country known for its tropical beaches, flamboyant carnival and vast Amazon jungle. The landscape of Serra Gaucha, one of the southernmost states in Brazil, consists of hillsides and forest. It is humid, like all of Brazil, but the cloudy and rainy days make you feel closer to somewhere in northern Europe than the postcard image of Brazil. With 2000mm of rain a year and undulating hillsides, it paints an altogether different landscape to that of Rio de Janeiro.
Many compare the main wine region, Vale dos Vinhedos, to Italian wine regions like Tuscany, and these comparisons are not as far-fetched as you might first think. This is indeed a little Italy. The location may be far off, but the culture is not.
It was because of hundreds of Italian settlers in the 1870s that Brazil's wine production started. The Italians settled in the hills of Serra Gaucha and planted their own vineyards to make wine for home consumption. That tradition continued and now over a hundred years later there are over 15,000 producers in the area - most of whom have small vineyards of a hectare or less.
Wine production has of course modernised beyond garage wine, but the heart of Brazilian wine is still in the home and the historic heritage. Driving around Vale dos Vinhedos you'll see signs for local wine and cheese tastings; dozens of pasta and pizza restaurants; and you might even catch a few people speaking their old Italian dialect.
Taste
Terroir Nature (Cave Geisse)
Sparkling wine is a big deal in Brazil. Coming from one of the real maestros of sparkling wine in Brazil, Mario Geisse, this is one of his top sparkling wines from the Geisse vineyard in Pinto Bandeira. A traditional method, 50/50 Chardonnay-Pinot Noir blend that spends 42 months on the lees resulting in an incredibly complex and intense sparkling wine. This bottles deserves time, good food and good company to enjoy.
Cuvee Guiseppe Chardonnay (Miolo)
Vale dos Vinhedos is mostly famous for its Merlot and Chardonnay. This is Miolo winery’s icon Chardonnay from the valley and it shows why the Chardonnay in this region is so well-renowned. A complex mix of tropical fruits, peaches and honey with a creamy mouth that still holds onto its fresh acidity, even after almost a year in oak. This is one of the top Brazilian wines and one of Miolo’s many fine wines.
DNA99, Merlot (Pizzato)
Vale dos Vinhedos is famous for its Merlot, and this was one of the Merlots to put it on the map. Flavio Pizzato named his top Merlot DNA99 because it was in 1999 that he made his very first wine that shot him to fame. Since then he has made it on very good vintages, and always from his same vines in the valley. Dark ripe fruit and spices beg you to pair this with a delicious Brazilian feijoada.
Eat
Brazil is a gastronomy mecca, and Vale dos Vinhedos is no exception. You'll find all the great Brazilian classics like the feijoada (a rich black bean stew with beef and pork). The famous Brazilian Churrasco or BBQ is alive and well in Serra Gaucha, a region which takes its name from the 'gaucho' - the traditional cowboys and cattle herders of Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina. However what you need to eat in Vale dos Vinhedos is undoubtedly the Italian food.
Sleep
There are many great accomodation options within Vale dos Vinhedos as it is a popular weekend destination for people from Sao Paulo and Porto Alegre. For an indulgent wine spa hotel, try Hotel & Spa do Vinho; for a family-friendly option try Villa Michelon resort; and for an affordable and alternative option Rio do Vento is a refurbished Patagonian house in a strawberry field.
Do
Walking around Bento Gonçalvez, the main city in the region, you’ll see a wine theme running through the architecture, such as a barrel-shaped church and a barrel-shaped entrance to the city… It’s clear you are in Brazil’s wine capital.
A museum in memory of all the immigrant settlers (Memorial do Imigrante) is a must for understanding the culture and history of the region. However in Vale dos Vinhedos, it is all about winery-hopping...