You Can and Should Visit
Your wine travel bucket list most likely contains world-renowned regions like Bordeaux, Champagne, Tuscany, Mendoza, and of course, Napa Valley and Sonoma. But if you prefer the path less traveled, move Brazil’s Serra Gaúcha to the top of your list.
Brazil’s Wine Country sits less than a two-hour drive from the Porto Alegre airport. You’ll want to spend most of your time within the Vale dos Vinhedos appellation, the largest region for wine tourism. It has more than 30 tasting rooms and welcomed 1.5 million visitors in 2017. Book a room at Hotel Villa Michelon, a quaint Wine Country retreat and then go wine tasting at wineries like Casa Valduga, a family-owned tourist hub complete with a restaurant and B&B, Miolo, one of Brazil’s largest fine wine producers, and Lidio Carraro, a boutique family winery that operates under a purist philosophy that prioritizes the vineyards. Lidio Carraro was even chosen as the official wine of both the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympics in Brazil. Some of the best sparkling wine can be found in the mountainous Pinto Bandeira region. Cave Geisse operates solely as a sparkling winery and the founder was originally hired to launch Chandon Brazil in the 70s. Don’t miss the ATV vineyard tour that they offer.
You Can Try Brazilian Wines in the United States
The Brazilian wine industry is currently making a big push to export more of their wines to the U.S., but currently, you won’t find them at your local grocery store. If you live in New York or New Jersey, you’ll have the best luck. Wines from producers like Miolo and Casa Valduga are carried in a number of wine shops and restaurants. You can find others on the wine lists at Brazilian steakhouses throughout the country, like Rodizio Grill, Fogo de Chão and Texas de Brazil.