Rio de Janeiro is Brazil’s first city of sun and fun, but São Paulo is its capital of dining and cocktails. Thanks to the melting pot of communities that migrated there from diverse corners of Europe and Asia, Brazil’s largest city will satisfy even the most demanding palates.

‘Sampa’, as it’s widely known, is a love-it-or-hate-it kind of metropolis, busy and fast-paced, whose 12 million paulistanos (residents) dance to their own beat. Getting around can be time consuming (many chief executives commute by helicopter; the city has the world’s largest helicopter fleet), but the intense traffic jams are offset by spontaneous samba gatherings on street corners, precious moments where Brazilians’ joviality hot-steps to life.

Once you have become accustomed to the hustle, the steep, leafy streets and never-ending avenues of skyscrapers daubed with enormous murals will begin to reveal their charms. The metro system and extensive bus network are both relatively straightforward to use; single tickets can be bought for the equivalent of less than £1, though fares for both can be paid using a rechargeable Bilehete Unico card. Car service apps are very economical.

Portuguese settlers gave the country its language and industries such as sugar cane, rubber and coffee production, but they aren’t unique in leaving their mark on São Paulo’s culinary scene. As home to about 660,000 people of Japanese descent – the largest such community outside the land of the rising sun – top-notch omakase, sushi counters and ramen bars (the revered noodle bowl is often written and pronounced by Brazilians as ‘lamen’) form a prominent part of the cityscape.

Fans of Japanese and Korean foods should browse the Liberdade and Bom Retiro neighbourhoods, respectively. Italian heritage is so dominant that taking part in paulistanos’ Sunday-night pizza ritual is non-negotiable. Lebanese, Syrian and West African food – the latter a culinary legacy of slavery – have also added threads to Sampa’s vibrant tapestry.

Starry kickstart

The city’s dining scene was recently given a boost by the relaunch of Brazil’s Michelin Guide in May; São Paulo establishments picked up 98 mentions, including three two-stars, 12 one-stars and 30 Bib Gourmands (‘offering exceptionally good food at moderate prices’, according to the Guide).

Thanks to this thriving gastronomic scene and a sophisticated dining public, you can drink as well as you eat. Wine lovers will be pleased to know that Brazilian winemakers are slowly but steadily growing in number, as is interest in sake and local rum-like distillate cachaça.

One of the city’s finest cellars is at Tuju, a newly minted two-star Michelin restaurant in Jardim Paulistano. Having shuttered the restaurant during the pandemic, chef Ivan Ralston returned with an ultra-seasonal menu, using locally sourced, emissions-light seasonal ingredients (guided by rainfall rather than temperature). Standout dishes in his Drought menu include hare with foie gras and cod with trout roe.

His wife Katherina Cordás developed Tuju’s research centre, which informs the menu; she also heads the front-of-house team. The 1,300 label-strong cellar is curated by rising-star sommelier Juliana Carani. The 12-course tasting menu can be paired with one of her three lists – World Classics, Discoveries and South America – or by the bottle. There are various vintage verticals available, including Château d’Yquem. Make sure to order award-winning bartender Rachel Louise’s take on an Espresso Martini, made with jackfruit.

Where to discover Brazilian wine and food

The Brazilian wine movement has come on in leaps and bounds in the last 15 years, as vintners have turned their hands to grape cultivation.

Southern regions Serra Gaúcha – home of Vale dos Vinhedos, Brazil’s first appellation of origin – Monte Belo and the Campanha Gaúcha prairies have been steadily forging their own winemaking paths, with traditional-method sparkling wine and dry whites receiving the most acclaim. Winemakers’ enthusiasm for expressing terroir has been matched by local drinkers’ curiosity to try homegrown labels, which has in turn led to an increase in the number of enotecas (wine shops) and bars opening.

Try local wines with favourite Brazilian dishes such as feijoada, a hearty stew of pork, beef and beans, at Bib Gourmand-rated A Baianeira (@abaianeira) located in São Paulo’s MASP museum of art in Centro, or picanha steak at churrascaria A Figueira Rubaiyat in Jardins, under the branches of its majestic Bengal fig tree. Revered finger food torresmo (deep-fried pork belly) is a staple at any boteco (traditional bar), and it’s best enjoyed with a very cold lager.

For Brazilian wine souvenirs, try independent store and restaurant Enoteca Saint VinSaint in Vila Nova Conceição. Some wine bars double up as bistrots, such as Clos Elevado (@clos_winebar) in Consolação, and Huevos de Oro (@huevosdeorobar), a Jerez and Spanish specialist in Pinheiros, from the team behind Sede261 (see below).

There’s renewed interest in cachaça, Brazil’s sugar-cane spirit, most commonly consumed in Caipirinha cocktails. Order a cashew Caipi and a moqueca (seafood stew) at Mocotó in Vila Medeiros, whose bar lists at least 10 small-batch wines, or ask to taste Brazilian wood-aged cachaças at Jiquitaia in Paraíso. The restaurant is ably led by the Corrêa Bastos siblings – sommelier Nina curates the cocktail list and her brother Marcelo cooks traditional dishes such as chicken coxinhas.

Local talent

At Nelita (@nelita.restaurant), a contemporary Italian restaurant in Baixo Pinheiros, chef Tássia Magalhães leads an all-female kitchen staff, while sommelier Danyel Steinle champions Brazilian producers.

His 90-label list includes sparkling and natural wines from the regions of Serra Gaúcha, Monte Belo and Campanha Gaúcha in Brazil’s far south. ‘High quality has already been established,’ he says. ‘Labels that I particularly appreciate include Vinhas do Tempo’s Chardonnay, Arte da Vinha’s Francamente Franc and Era dos Ventos’ skin-contact Peverella.’ Later this year, the duo will open El Lita wine bar, right opposite Nelita.

Inspired by Italian cuisine and seamlessly blending it with São Paulo’s own culinary heritage, a fun and intelligent 15-course paired tasting menu awaits at Evvai in Pinheiros district; think scallop bombs, palm-heart linguine and coco-cauliflower for dessert. Talented young chef Luiz Filipe Souza’s talents go beyond the burners: he makes drawings of the dishes, so you get a small album of the illustrated menu to take home, and has devised small-measure cocktails to pair with his dishes.

Souza’s efforts saw Evvai upgraded from one to two Michelin stars earlier this year. The wine list managed by sommelier Marcello Fonseca surely contributed; the French-led list includes a healthy range of Brazilian labels from Don Abel, Leone di Venezia and Zanotto, among others.

Putting wine first

A wave of wine-forward, sommelier-run establishments are exciting paulistanos, who increasingly appreciate international wines as well as those from Brazilian producers.

Ripping up the rulebook is award-winning bar and wine shop Sede261 (@sede261) in Pinheiros, led by industry icons Cássia Campos and Daniela Bravin, whose relaxed approach has made it a firm favourite. With a rapidly changing list of around 50 wines, they set up folding chairs in the street and crack open that day’s selection, sometimes inviting chef friends to knock up some street food. Drinkers order by the glass or bottle from the tiny wooden bar before returning to the buoyant streetside festa.

Meanwhile, diners eating at Restaurante Cepa (@restaurante.cepa) put themselves in the capable hands of sommelier Gabrielli Fleming and her bountiful list of 300 natural wines, including Brazilian wines such as Era dos Ventos’ Trebbiano On the Rock.

‘It’s crazy to stock so many labels,’ she says, ‘but I love to share wines from around the world.’ Fleming’s ‘madness’ has paid off, as she has created a destination for natural-wine fans, first in far-flung Vila Gomes Cardim but recently re-opened in more easily accessible Pinheiros. There’s also high praise for chef Lucas Dante’s tasty small plates, such as braised squid and Wagyu tongue.

When it’s time to freshen the palate, São Paulo plays a strong suit in both cachaça and sake. Aizomê is a peaceful lunchtime omakase in Jardim Paulista that serves 50 junmai sakes in various-sized formats, while in Vila Mariana sake sommelier Yasmin Yonashiro shares her passion for Japan’s emblematic liquid culture at Jojo Ramen (@jojo_ramen).

My perfect day in São Paulo

Given the city’s sprawling nature, choose a neighbourhood and plan accordingly to best use your time; near the Pinheiros river, upscale Jardim Paulista and trendy Pinheiros are neighbouring districts, so it’s straightforward to traverse both. I suggest wearing sneakers to get to know Pinheiros or the historic Centro on foot.

Morning

In Centro, wake up with specialty coffee at hipster café Takkø (@takkocafesp). If you are in Pinheiros, Um Coffee Co has various outposts; enjoy your caffeine fix at the Rua Pais Leme branch before walking to Beco do Batman, a vibrant street renowned for its murals.

Lunch

I love the juxtaposition of calming Cora’s (@cora.sp) delicious seasonal dishes and its sixth-floor location alongside a clamorous highway in Centro. Another option is to refuel at Corrutela (@corrutela); this Michelin Bib Gourmand-rated restaurant is a stone’s throw from Beco do Batman and the wine list is constantly changing.

Evening

Two of my favourite bars for an aperitif with live music are the upscale Baretto, complete with piano player, and the Rosewood Hotels’ Rabo di Galo (see below) – named after the signature cachaça-based cocktail – which is known for its live samba bands.

Enjoy an evening glass of Casa Tés Sauvignon Blanc at Beverino Vinhos Naturais (@beverino. vinhos) before pigging out over dinner at legendary A Casa do Porco, where pork is served in a dazzling array of ways (they slow roast two whole free-range pigs a day). Or for something a bit more unusual, feast on lemongrass-flavoured ants from the unique Amazonian menu at D.O.M.. Or check out Charco’s (@charcorestaurante) Rio Grande do Sul-inspired flame-grilled fare, prepared by young gun Tuca Mezzomo.

I like to round off a night sipping a Brazilian Martinez at serious speakeasy The Liquor Store (@theliquorstore.sp), reservations required, or with a cachaça-forward Casulo cocktail at cool underground watering hole Bar dos Arcos.

How to get there

British Airways and LATAM/Virgin fly direct from London Heathrow daily, with flights taking about 11 hours to São Paulo-Guarulhos; from the US, direct flights depart from Miami, Orlando, New York and Washington DC daily. To reach Vale dos Vinhedos AO, fly to Porto Alegre then hire a car; it’s a two-hour drive to the valley.

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Andy Howard MW, Christine Allen and Eugenio Egorov tasted 131 wines, with 3 Outstanding and 71 Highly Recommended.

Sparkling wines of the Americas: Panel tasting scores

131 wines tasted

Exceptional 0

Outstanding 3

Highly recommended 71

Recommended 55

Commended 2

Fair 0

Poor 0

Entry criteria: producers and UK agents were invited to submit current-release sparkling wines from any recognised appellation in the Americas, north or south – vintage or non-vintage, of any colour white, rosé or red, and produced according to the traditional or ancestral methods (ie, respectively, secondary fermentation in bottle or a single fermentation in bottle.

The judging panel were impressed by the outright quality on show in this tasting, from areas as diverse as the Niagara Peninsula and Nova Scotia in Canada down to the southerly extremes of Patagonia. At the end, Eugenio Egorov enthused about ‘the rise of American sparkling wine – a New World of bubbles’.

He observed: ‘A quiet revolution is underway across the Americas, and the results are nothing short of impressive.’ Andy Howard MW agreed: ‘The quality came as a surprise, with fantastic balance and precision in the top-scoring wines.’

Scroll down to see the top results from the sparkling wines of the Americas panel tasting

Six nation tasting

This six-nation tasting traversed Canada, the US, Brazil, Uruguay, Chile and Argentina. It was no great shock that many US wines did well, with the long-established Chandon performing strongly.

And no surprise, either, that the Racines Grand Reserve Chardonnay gained a score of 94, given the involvement of Rodolphe Péters (of Champagne Pierre Péters) and Etienne de Montille and Brian Sieve (Domaine de Montille in Burgundy).

What did bowl the panel over was the quantity and quality of wines from Canada. Of the 79 Canadian wines tasted, three were deemed Outstanding, 37 Highly recommended.

Availability may be a challenge in the UK, but those in North America should celebrate the quality on offer in their backyard.

Ultra-cool climate Nova Scotia performed well (with the highly distinctive hybrid L’Acadie Blanc grape displaying its benchmark acidity in one of Blomidon’s wines.

But it was Ontario that provided the greatest excitement.

Two Niagara estates took top honours, with York Vineyards a particular shock as its first releases were yet to hit the market (due July/August 2024) at the time of tasting. These wines show the potential of this region.

York Vineyards is currently the only estate in Ontario (and perhaps in Canada) known to be focusing entirely on traditional method sparkling wine; barrel fermentation/ maturation and extended lees ageing here have resulted in some excellent wines.

See all the wines from the sparkling wines of the Americas panel tasting

Bright future

South America didn’t perform quite as strongly, perhaps a reflection of the market driven, sharper price limitations on producers in Chile, Uruguay and Brazil.

Many of the wines are Recommended (86-89pts), but fewer shone as brightly as those from the US and Canada.

The developing ‘frontier’ regions of Limarí (Chile) and Chubut (Argentinian Patagonia) did show great potential.

The Otronia estate in Chubut was a great discovery. In the extreme south of Argentina (45’33’’) where the climate is cold and hostile, the first vines were planted in 2010.

The results for such youthful wines are impressive – great focus, purity and energy.

Egorov summarised the potential for the sparkling wines of the Americas: ‘As the global demand for sparkling wine continues to rise, and prices in traditional regions like Champagne and Italy climb ever higher, American producers are stepping up to offer exciting alternatives with more accessible price-tags.’

He concluded: ‘The future of fizz is looking bright on this side of the Atlantic.’

Sparkling wines of the Americas panel tasting scores

Wines were tasted blind

The judges

Andy Howard MW is a Decanter contributing editor and DWWA Regional Chair. A former retail wine buyer for more than 30 years, he now runs his own consultancy Vinetrades, focusing on wine education, judging, investment and sourcing.

Christine Allen is marketing director for distributor Maisons Marques et Domaines, particularly focusing on Old World regions, Champagne and sparkling wine. She has years of experience across sales, marketing and buying in the fine wine market, and is a DWWA judge.

Eugenio Egorov is head sommelier at AA five-star The Stafford in London. Born in Ukraine, he began his hospitality career in restaurants in Italy and Florida, USA, before moving to London in 2014, where he rose as a sommelier at the likes of 45 Park Lane and The Dorchester.

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The natural disaster has destroyed homes, roads and bridges, with muddy brown water rising as high as rooftops in some areas.

More than 250 people are injured and at least 111 have been reported as missing, according to the state’s civil defence unit, so the death toll could rise.

‘Never before in the history of Brazil has there been such a quantity of rain in one single location,’ President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said.

This year, the impacts of the El Niño climate phenomenon have been particularly severe in South America, exacerbating the problems caused by climate change.

Some vineyards are completely submerged in water, and rescuers are wading through waist-deep water in a bid to save families across the state.

Local authorities reported that more than 80,000 people have been displaced as a result of the record-breaking floods.

Isolete Neumann, who lives in the city of Lajeado, told the Associated Press: ‘People were making barricades in front of hospitals with sand and gravel. It felt like a horror movie.’

Rio Grande do Sul is Brazil’s largest wine-producing state, accounting for approximately 90% of total production. The state is at the southern tip of the country, bordering Uruguay and Argentina.

Videos on social media highlight the devastating impact of the floods in Serra Gaúcha, which has faced river overflows and landslides. Others show city streets transformed into rivers in Nova Prata, a municipality in the heart of the Serra Gaúcha region.

It is too early to gauge the full extent of the damage to the region’s agricultural industry, but soybean producers are facing up to heavy losses.

Rio Grande do Sul lies at a unique geographical meeting point between tropical and polar atmospheres, which can lead to periods of intense rain and drought. Local scientists say the climate crisis has intensified these patterns.

Karina Lima, a scientist and PhD candidate in climatology at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul told the AP: ‘Models have long predicted that Rio Grande do Sul will continue to see an increase in average annual precipitation and extreme precipitation, meaning more concentrated and severe rainfall.’

The Brazilian Geological Service confirmed that the current flooding in the state has surpassed the previous record set in 1941. Water levels in some cities are at their highest since records began almost 150 years ago, according to the agency.

Governor Eduardo Leite called it ‘the worst climate disaster that our state ever faced’ and added that ‘river waters should stay high for some days’. He could not say when the crisis will abate, but he pledged to do ‘everything with focus, attention, discipline, and outrage, to ensure that everything within our reach is done’.

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White beaches, Amazon rainforests, Rio carnival, football. It’s fair to say that wine isn’t the first thing that springs to mind when you think of Brazil. But this vast country is making significant headway into the global wine scene.

Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for 10 wines from Brazil to try

The beginning of Brazil’s wine story isn’t an auspicious one. Although vines first arrived in 1532 with Portuguese explorer Martim Afonso de Sousa, early plantings failed. It wasn’t until Brazil gained independence from Portugal in 1822 – a move that coincided with a gold rush and subsequent flood of European immigration – that wine culture took root.

The most significant contribution was made by Italians, who were offered land in southern Brazil in the mid-1870s and settled around Serra Gaúcha and Bento Gonçalves – an area that’s reminiscent of Italy’s Piedmont. The south remains the epicentre of Brazil’s fine wine scene today – the legacy of those historic settlers seen in the names of large companies, such as Miolo, that dominate the industry here.

Setting the scene

While European immigrants brought Vitis vinifera vines from their homeland, other grapes – American and hybrid vines such as Isabel and Niagara – proved more adaptable to Brazil’s humid climate and plantings spread throughout the country. Industrialisation of wine production from the 1970s saw volumes increase, but coincided with a period of military dictatorship (1964-1985), when international trade dwindled. Wine styles became geared to the domestic market – sweet jug wine is still more popular than fine wine today – though vinifera production continued in places. Most notably, major French company Moët & Chandon arrived in Serra Gaúcha in 1973 to make sparkling wines, spotting a potential for the style that has become Brazil’s calling card. ‘Brazil can deliver any style of sparkling wine,’ says Maurício Roloff, education director of the Brazilian Sommelier Association. Indeed, the country has become the largest sparkling producer in Latin America, making both traditional-method – first produced in 1913 – and tank wines.

The 1990s marked a significant turning point in the Brazilian wine story. ‘The wine scene changed a lot from 1994 onwards when Brazil opened up more to foreign markets, and people in wine started to travel and study winemaking in other countries,’ explains winemaker Flavio Pizzato. The descendants of Italians who arrived in 1880, his family began making their own wines in 1999. The newly democratic country opened its doors to foreign trade, bringing in ideas and competitor products that sparked a quiet quality revolution.

Since the turn of the millennium, progress has been rapid. Brazil’s first Geographical Indication (GI) – Vale dos Vinhedos in Bento Gonçalves – was approved in 2002. The region became a Denomination of Origin (DO) in 2012. By 2020 there were seven GIs across the country.

Sparkling signature

The most recent date of note is 29 November 2022, which marked the announcement of Altos de Pinto Bandeira as a DO for traditional-method sparkling wines. The new DO in Serra Gaúcha is the first in the New World exclusively for sparkling wines.

The announcement followed 10 years of campaigning and research by the Pinto Bandeira Wine Producers Association (Asprovinho) spearheaded by Chilean oenologist Mario Geisse. The first person to recognise the potential of the region for sparkling wine, Geisse moved to Brazil in 1976 to work for Chandon Brazil. He then founded his own Familia Geisse winery in Pinto Bandeira in 1979.

‘This region has something very rare, which I first encountered 40 years ago,’ says Geisse as we stroll through his vineyards. ‘It can produce grapes that are at the optimum of sugar and acidity at the moment of harvesting – which is the same as the Champagne region.’

Altos de Pinto Bandeira DO covers 65km2 (6,500ha) spread across three municipalities on the left bank of the Vale do Rio das Antas: Pinto Bandeira (76.6%), Farroupilha (19%) and Bento Gonçalves (4.4%). The average altitude of the vineyards is 632m and the average annual rainfall is 1,400mm. ‘The base rock here is volcanic basalt,’ explains Geisse. ‘Over time it has fractured and when this happens, soil falls in between. As well as allowing the roots of the vine to go very deep, it offers excellent drainage.’

Three grape varieties are permitted: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Riesling Italico (Welschriesling). Yields are limited to 12 tonnes per hectare [the same limit was set in Champagne in 2022], with strict rules for traditional-method production in the winery. Currently four wineries are allowed to label their wines Altos de Pinto Bandeira DO – Aurora, Don Giovanni, Geisse and Valmarino – with the first bottles arriving in export markets this year.

Geisse believes the new DO gives Brazil a USP in the crowded global wine scene. ‘As a region we don’t want to compare ourselves to other sparkling regions. What we do want to do is promote this type of sparkling wine as reflecting the spirit of Brazil: light, easy to drink, enjoyable – like Brazilians!’ For Roloff it’s a clear endorsement of Brazil’s flagship style: ‘Having this DO shows us as specialists in sparkling.’

Variety show

As Roloff admits, however, sparkling is ‘just the tip of the iceberg’ for Brazilian wine styles. Rio Grande do Sul, the southern region that’s home to some 90% of producers, is said to boast more than 130 different grape varieties in all, and of those destined for quality wine production, it’s Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Merlot that account for the lion’s share. While premium- quality Merlot and Syrah have become calling cards for Brazil, many other varieties are proving equally successful, from Italy’s Glera to Greek Assyrtiko.

Pizzato makes the country’s only Sémillon at his small winery in Vale dos Vinhedos. At nearby Foppa & Ambrosi, the portfolio includes Albariño and Tannat – signature grapes of Brazil’s neighbour Uruguay. ‘Everything that works in Uruguay’s terroir will work in our terroir, but here we get better ripeness,’ says Lucas Foppa, who started making wines in his basement with two friends from oenology school in 2017, when he was 21.

‘Cabernet Franc is suited to this region because it has an early cycle and has some resistance to mildew. In comparison with Merlot it has more complexity; I think Cabernet Franc will be bigger than Merlot in Brazil in years to come,’ he adds.

Looking outwards

Foppa and partner Ricardo Ambrosi also make wine in Napa Valley. The duo’s Cultura range, including a Touriga Nacional, reflects their contacts with foreign winemakers. Their willingness to look beyond borders is a contrast to the country’s older, established wineries that have been criticised in the past for only looking inward at their own industry.

Luísa Valduga is the fourth generation of Casa Valduga. Founded by Italian immigrants, the company started making its own wines in the 1970s and was an early advocate of ‘méthode champenoise’ sparkling. She left Brazil to study marketing and gain experience with large multinationals. ‘To come to Europe and put myself into different industries is not something that the family pushed me to do,’ she says. ‘It was me who said, you cannot have the whole group thinking from the inside only, someone needs to go outside and bring things back.’

Now she works for the family company in the UK. ‘I’m not going back to Brazil, but I’m going back to the business because I feel like we have a lot of opportunities,’ she adds. ‘We’ve learned a lot from our mistakes. And now we’re much more prepared and ready to move forward.’ She believes that promoting Brazil in export markets is vital. Wines of Brazil and ApexBrasil (the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency) have been focused on that since 2021.

Winter wines

Back in Brazil, viticultural innovations are moving the industry forward. Winter harvesting is a technique that disrupts the vine’s natural growing cycle to allow grapes to be picked at the optimum time of year. It was developed in the early 2000s in Minas Gerais (the birthplace of footballer Pelé). In this part of central Brazil, autumn falls between February and April. But conditions in winter (May to August) are much better for harvesting grapes, as this is the dry season, with sunny days and cold nights.

By using phytohormones to encourage early budding and a double-pruning technique that was developed by Brazilian Dr Murillo de Albuquerque Regina, growers can harvest in June or July. Benefits include a longer ripening period, along with better sun exposure and higher temperatures, as well as a greater diurnal temperature difference, which helps to preserve natural acidity.

Wines from Brazil: the facts

Wine regions: Campanha, Campos de Cima da Serra, Planalto Catarinense, Serra do Sudeste, Serra Gaúcha, Vale do São Francisco

Emerging regions: Goiás, Interior de São Paulo, Norte do Rio Grande do Sul, Paraná, Sul de Minas Gerais

Appellations: DO Altos de Pinto Bandeira, Vale dos Vinhedos; GI Altos Montes, Campanha Gaúcha, Farroupilha, Monte Belo, Pinto Bandeira, Vales da Uva Goethe, Vinhos de Altitude de Santa Catarina

Main red grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir

Main white grapes: Chardonnay, Moscato Branco, Glera

Area planted: 80,000ha

Wineries: 1,100+

Total production (2022*): 320m litres

Volume of exports (2022†): 7.7m litres

Value of exports (2022†): US$13.7m

Source: Wines of Brazil; *OIV 2022; †Comex Stat]

Vigorous varieties such as Sauvignon Blanc and Syrah have turned out to be particularly well suited to winter harvesting. The first experimental harvest took place in 2003, but these so-called ‘winter wines’ – also known as colheita de inverno – made headlines when Guaspari Syrah 2016 won Brazil’s first-ever gold medal, in the 2016 DWWA competition, placing the producer firmly on an international stage. Anprovin, the national association for winter wines, now has 42 member wineries, representing more than 300ha of vineyard and some 650,000 bottles annually.

Looking ahead

Innovations such as winter wines, combined with pioneering plantings and an ambitious younger generation, paint a picture of a dynamic wine scene in Brazil. But there is still quite a way to go if the country wants its wines to continue to achieve greater recognition.

Challenges to overcome include punitive domestic taxes: in some states, producers can pay more than 50% of the value of their wine in tax; drinkers are further taxed at the point of purchase. ‘Wines imported from Argentina and Chile benefit from a free trade agreement,’ adds Roloff, making them cheaper than local wines. And that’s for the 5% of Brazilians who actually drink wine.

Growing the domestic market and creating a national wine culture will undoubtedly help. This needs to go hand-in-hand with increasing visibility in international markets. ‘Only a handful of producers have the quality and capability to export, so in a sense there is a lack of critical mass,’ says Dirceu Vianna Junior MW, Brazil’s only Master of Wine.

‘Production volumes remain low and Brazil’s labour costs are high, so the challenge of trying to be competitive on the international stage remains,’ adds Nicholas Corfe, MD of UK specialist importer Go Brazil. He is hopeful for the future, however. ‘There is a real confidence and energy in Brazil’s winemaking right now –

a stronger sense of identity and an encouraging degree of experimentation,’ he says. Importantly, the quality is there.

In years to come, Brazil’s wines may be as well known as its star footballers or colourful carnivals.

Wines from Brazil: 10 to try

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Altos de Pinto Bandeira, located in Brazil’s southern Serra Gaúcha wine region, has been recognised as a DO for traditional method sparkling wines. The new DO, which is the first in the New World that’s exclusively for sparkling wines, was announced on 29 November 2022. The first wines labelled DO Altos de Pinto Bandeira will arrive in the market this year.

The move follows 10 years of campaigning and research by the Pinto Bandeira Wine Producers Association (Asprovinho). It worked with bodies including Embrapa Grape and Wine (the state-owned Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation, affiliated with Brazil’s Ministry of Agriculture), the University of Caxias do Sul and the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul.

Altos de Pinto Bandeira was first recognised as a unique location for producing sparkling wines by Chilean winemaker Mario Geisse. He moved to Brazil in 1976 to work for Moët & Chandon’s Chandon Brazil operation. He then founded his own Familia Geisse winery in Pinto Bandeira in 1979.

‘This region has something very rare, which I first encountered 40 years ago,’ said Geisse. ‘It can produce grapes that are at the optimum of sugar and acidity at the moment of harvesting. These characteristics are very marked in this region and allow us to elaborate wines that are typical of the region, without defects.’

Jorge Tonietto, Embrapa Grape and Wine researcher added: ‘This DO has structural equivalence and appropriates a high qualitative level, such as that existing in the prestigious DOs of Champagne sparkling wines from France, or Franciacorta from Italy.’

Altos de Pinto Bandeira DO covers 65km² (6,500ha) spread across three different municipalities on the left bank of the Vale do Rio das Antas: Pinto Bandeira (76.6%), Farroupilha (19%) and Bento Gonçalves (4.4%). Features of the region’s unique terroir include soils of volcanic basalt that offer natural irrigation in the vineyards. Average rainfall is 1,400mm and average altitude of vineyards is 632m.

Three grape varieties are permitted in the DO: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Riesling Italico (Welschriesling). Yields are limited to 12 tonnes per hectare, with strict control rules for traditional method production in the winery. Currently four wineries are permitted to label their wines DO Altos de Pinto Bandeira: Geisse, Aurora, Don Giovanni and Valmarino.

Brazilian wine expert Maurício Roloff, education director of the Brazilian Sommelier Association, said: ‘This is part of the larger process of having sparkling wine as Brazil’s flagship wine style. It’s still a very wide category, but it’s the one thing people talk about with Brazilian wine. So having this DO shows us as specialists in sparkling.’

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Discover DWWA gold medal winners across ten years of the Decanter World Wine Awards in Rio this September

Master of Wine Alistair Cooper and Paulo Brammer, founder and director of the wine academy Eno Cultura (awarded World Educator of the Year in 2017 by WSET Global), have come together to host a masterclass showcasing award-winning wines from the Decanter World Wine Awards at the Aprazível restaurant in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on 28 September.

Only wines awarded a DWWA gold medal (over 95 points) will be showcased with a line-up that is set to include award-winning wines from the past 10 years of the competition (2009-2019).

See all DWWA results here

Among the 12 wines included in the line up will be Champagne Taittinger Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut 2006, Christian Moreau Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos 2014, Robert Mondavi Reserve Napa 2005 and Fernando Castilla Palo Cortado Antique.

DWWA award-winning wines to be tasted:

Ruffino, Romitorio di Santedame, Chianti Classico Gran Selezione, Tuscany, Italy 2015

Platinum, 97 points (DWWA 2019)

Familia Torres, Grans Muralles, Conca de Barberà, Spain 2014

Best in Show, 97 points (DWWA 2019)

Viña Ventisquero, Enclave Cabernet Sauvignon, Pirque, Maipó Valley, Chile 2013

Platinum, 97 points (DWWA 2018)

Domaine Christian Moreau Père et Fils, les Clos, Chablis Grand Cru, Burgundy, France 2014

Gold, 95 points (DWWA 2016)

Vinicola Guaspari, Vista do Chá Syrah, Brazil 2012

Gold, 95 points (DWWA 2016)

Pandolfi Price, Los Patricios, Itata Valley, Chile 2012

Platinum, Regional Trophy (DWWA 2015)

Taittinger, Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut, Champagne, Champagne, France 2006

Gold (DWWA 2015)

Dobogó, Furmint, Tokaj-Hegyalja, Hungary 2011

Platinum, Regional Trophy (DWWA 2013)

Dobogó, Tokaji Aszu 6 Puttonyos, Hungary 2007

Platinum, Regional Trophy (DWWA 2011)

Fernando de Castilla, Palo Cortado Antique, Jerez, Spain, NV

Best in Show, International Trophy (DWWA 2010)

Castillo Perelada, Finca La Garrida, Penedes, Spain 2007

Gold (DWWA 2010)

Robert Mondavi Reserve, Napa, USA 2005

Gold (DWWA 2009)

About Alistair Cooper MW

Alistair is a Master of Wine, independent wine consultant, writer and educator with over 16 years of experience in the wine industry. He offers a range of services to both corporate and private clients both in the UK and abroad. He contributes to many publications, including Decanter Magazine, Meiningers, Harpers and Drinks International. He recently launched a digital guide about Latin America, called Catador.

About Paulo Brammer

Founder and director of Eno Cultura, Paulo has 15 years of experience in the wine industry within the fields of sommelierie, retail purchases and education. Paulo is currently a wine judge for Decanter World Wine Awards and IWSC. He is also an educator of Sherry and Rioja, officially authorized by the regulatory councils from both regions.

Event Details

Date: 28 September 2019

Time: 7pm – 9pm

Place: Aprazível Restaurant

R. Aprazível, 62 – Santa Teresa, Rio de Janeiro

Click here for more information and booking

Since the first vines were introduced to Brazil in 1532 the industry has experienced its share of turbulence, but the overall progress has been astonishing given the challenges it has faced over the years. Investment in technology, infrastructure, training and organisation of the wine sector has ensured a remarkable improvement in the quality of Brazil’s wines over the past three decades.

Vines brought into the country by immigrants were first planted in the state of São Paulo. However, climatic conditions, notably heat and excessive humidity, were not ideal for the European varieties and the experiment was swiftly abandoned. Subsequently, Portuguese settlers tried to cultivate vines in several different areas, looking for the most suitable location.The area that responded best to viticulture was Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil’s southernmost state, bordering Argentina and Uruguay. Initially the wine industry had to rely on high-yielding hybrids and American grape varieties such as Niagara, Isabel and Concord, until in the 1970s international companies started to invest, bringing know-how and technology, as well as new cuttings of Vitis vinifera that adapted well to this region.When the Brazilian government eased import barriers in the 1990s, local producers began to face increased competition for their share of the local market, notably from Chile and Argentina. The industry reacted positively and the quality of domestic wines has been improving ever since. However, in June this year the announcement of an agreement between Mercosul (South America’s trade bloc) and the European Union, which eliminated import tax for European wines (previously set at 27%) sent shock waves through the industry.

Challenges ahead

Brazilian wines must now compete directly with European wines in their home market, and high internal taxation, bureaucracy, expensive labour costs and lack of support from the government make this a challenging task. Rather than seeing it as a threat, Brazilian producers should use this as an opportunity to abandon less profitable areas of production – where they will certainly fail to compete with the cheaper wines of Spain, Italy and France – and instead focus on premium segments.

Importantly, there is also an opportunity for local producers to work collectively with other members of the industry to help educate local consumers, to tell their story and work on increasing the per capita consumption of wine in Brazil, which has remained stubbornly low and static at around two litres for a number of years, in contrast to beer consumption, which exceeds 60 litres per capita.

While Brazil is the 15th largest producer of grapes in the world, the majority of its 82,000ha of vineyard is planted with non-Vitis vinifera. Rio Grande do Sul is responsible for about 90% of total wine production, but with interest in wine increasing and with modern techniques being implemented, other areas of Brazil are starting to be explored.

The new frontiers

Ironically, some of the best wines coming out of Brazil today are made in São Paulo state, originally dismissed as being too hot and excessively humid. In the northern part of the state, 200km from São Paulo city, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Viognier are capable of producing exciting whites, while Syrah grown at high altitude sites (800m-1,300m) is responsible for exceptional reds. One leading producer to look out for is Guaspari.

Vineyards have also been planted across the border in the state of Minas Gerais, renowned for its coffee plantations. Within a short space of time these new projects have started to demonstrate their suitability for the production of wines, mainly Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Tempranillo, although Syrah is also a star here. In addition, there are projects expanding throughout the states of Rio de Janeiro, Paraná and Goiás.

Serra Gaúcha

The Serra Gaúcha region has been colonised mainly by Italian settlers, who first arrived in the area in 1875. It is located in Brazil’s southernmost state, Rio Grande do Sul, bordering Argentina and Uruguay, and is responsible for more than 80% of the country’s production. Due to the challenging climatic conditions, American and hybrid varieties were the main focus until the 1970s, when international companies such as Martini & Rossi, Moët & Chandon and Seagram recognised Brazil as an attractive market and began investing. By the early 1990s, varietal wines from Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Chardonnay were already on the market. The quality of wines, reds in particular, has continued to improve, while sparkling wine production started to gain traction from 2000 onwards.

The undulating topography of the area, with an altitude varying from 300m to 850m, is reminiscent of certain parts of northern Italy. The soil consists mainly of clay over basalt and the climate is humid. Average annual rainfall is about 1,700mm, hence most traditional vineyards were established using the pergola system.

Modern vineyards are planted using vertical shoot positioning (VSP). The main red varieties are Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir, as well as Tannat and Cabernet Franc among others. Chardonnay, Riesling Italico, Moscato and Glera are the principal white varieties. The best producers in the area include Casa Perini, Casa Valduga, Cave Geisse, Lidio Carraro, Luiz Argenta, Miolo, Pizzato and Salton.

Serra do Sudeste

Winemakers started to explore Serra do Sudeste, in the southeast of Rio Grande do Sul, in the 1970s. There is lower rainfall in comparison with other parts of the state and this area has demonstrated great potential over the years. Cold winters combined with dry springs and warm summers are ideal for viticulture. Besides its climate, the area’s gentle slopes, varying in altitude between 200m and 500m, and its granitic soil are able to support many varieties, including reds such as Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir and Alicante Bouschet, and whites such as Gewürztraminer, Riesling, Moscato, Malvasia de Candia and Chardonnay (which is especially well suited to this region).

There are a few small wine-producing facilities in this area, but several of the best producers (including Angheben, Casa Valduga, Chandon and Lidio Carraro) own vineyards here, opting to vinify in Serra Gaúcha because of its proximity to the market.

Campos de Cima da Serra

Situated on the border between the states of Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina, Campos de Cima da Serra is a remote area. The high plateau ranges in altitude from 800m to 1,100m and boasts an exotic beauty in the form of shallow rivers, waterfalls and the unusual – and highly endangered – araucaria trees. It is a cold region, renowned for apple cultivation, where temperatures during the growing season can vary between 6°C and 26°C. Continuous breezes ensure that vines are kept dry, and conditions here are ideal for a long ripening season. Shifts in temperature between day and night can be as high as 15°C, ensuring fresh acidity and lending great structure to the wines.

Since 2000, local businesses have invested heavily in this area. Nowadays there are plantings of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc, Tannat, Ancellotta and Petit Verdot grown on various types of soil, including clay, loam and basalt. White varieties such as Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Moscato Bianco, Viognier, Glera and Gewürztraminer are also grown here.

Campanha

Campanha is Brazil’s southernmost growing area and is situated between parallels 28°S and 31°S, the same latitude that cuts across South Africa. It shares a long border with Uruguay. Climate is variable: temperatures can reach 38°C in summer, and in winter can drop as low as -10°C. The temperature during the growing cycle oscillates between 12°C and 24°C, and the seasons are well defined, with hot summers and cold winters.

The gently undulating plains vary in altitude between 100m and 300m and the sandy soils are suitable for many different red grape varieties, including Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Tannat, Teroldego, Pinot Noir, Marselan, Touriga Nacional and Tempranillo. The style of wine from this area tends to be ripe, round, soft and fruit-forward, with a balanced acidity. Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier, Pinot Gris and Gewürztraminer are the main white grape varieties cultivated here. There are only two producers of note who vinify in this area: Guatambu and Miolo.

Planalto Catarinense

For those who associate Brazil with palm trees, sandy beaches and sunshine, Planalto Catarinense is an unusual region. It is home to one of the coldest cities in Brazil, São Joaquim, where snow, ice and freezing temperatures are not uncommon, and is the source of Brazil’s first ever naturally made ice wine.

Despite harsh winters, conditions during the growing cycle are ideal for viticulture, and are especially suited to Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir. The ripening period is long, which ensures adequate phenolic ripeness for red grape varieties, namely Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec, Cabernet Franc, Tannat, Syrah, Sangiovese, Nebbiolo, Montepulciano and Tempranillo.

This region, where the altitude can reach 1,400m, is quickly becoming a reference point in the domestic wine market. Producers such as Quinta da Neve, Sanjo, Villa Francioni, Villaggio Grando, Vinícola Thera, Vinícola Pericó and Vinícola Villaggio Bassetti are currently working to fulfil the region’s potential for premium wines.

Vale do Rio São Francisco

Situated in the north of the country between the states of Pernambuco and Bahia, Vale do Rio São Francisco is a challenging place for viticulture. The climate here, between parallels 7°S and 9°S, is semi-arid, with an average temperature of about 26°C, 300 days of sun and annual rainfall of less than 300mm. With no winter at this latitude for the vine to rest, producers rely on a combination of the availability of water from the São Francisco river and pruning techniques to control the plant cycle. By withdrawing water the vine becomes dormant, then once the vine is pruned and irrigation re-established the new growing cycle begins and typically lasts for around 120 days.

In the same vineyard it is possible to observe dormant vines alongside those at flowering stage, as well as vines that are at the point of harvest. Red grapes planted in this hot and sunny place include Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Tempranillo, Touriga Nacional and Alicante Bouschet. Moscato, Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc are among the white varieties found here. Since 2000 the region has been boosted by investment from the Portuguese company Dão Sul/Global Wines, and producers of note include Miolo and ViniBrasil.

Check out Dirceau Vianna Junior MW’s mixed dozen from Brazil

Braseiro da Gávea

A firm neighbourhood favourite, Braseiro is an old-fashioned Rio restaurant where the waiters wear white shirts and bow ties, and wheel around with laden trays. There’s only one thing to go for here: picanha (a tender cut of beef) served with the house accompaniments, which include banana farofa, broccoli rice and salad.

• Address: Praça Santos Dumont, 116 Gávea
• Opening hours: Sunday-Thursday 11.30am-1.00am, Friday and Saturday 11.30am-3.00am

Lasai

Michelin-starred Lasai represents the best of fine dining in Rio. Though chef-owner Rafa Costa e Silva has taken influence from his time in Spain’s Basque Country, the restaurant uses only local and indigenous ingredients, many grown in its Lasai own gardens. For the full experience, go for the 15-course ‘festival’ tasting menu with paired wines.

• Address: Rua Donde de Irajá 191, Botafogo
• Opening hours: Tuesday-Saturday 7.30pm-10.00pm

CT Boucherie

Brazilians are big on steak, and at CT Boucherie choice cuts are served up with a rotating selection of sumptuous side dishes, including grilled banana, pureed parsnips and farofa (crunchy manioc crumbs). Celebrated chef Claude Troisgros selects his top six wines, which are largely Brazilian and include three sparkling.

• Address: Rua Dias Ferreira, 636 Leblon
• Opening hours: from midday

Irajá Gastrô

Small, homely Irajá Gastrô serves only handpicked Brazilian wines, showcasing the best of the country’s bottles together with a concise but adventurous menu of native dishes. The signature deep-fried tapioca balls stuffed with cured cheese sit alongside grilled scallops with yoghurt and passion fruit, and picadinho, a diced beef stew.

• Address: Rua Conde de Irajá, 109 Botafogo
• Opening hours: Sunday-Thursday 12noon-11.00pm, Friday, Saturday and holidays 12noon-12midnight

Azumi

Brazil is home to the world’s largest Japanese diaspora, so it’s no surprise that the sushi here is exceptional. The glitterati get their fill at Sushi Leblon, but for a more authentic experience visit Azumi. The restaurant may be no-frills, but the food is sublime and the choice of sake commendable.

• Address: Rua Ministro Viveiros de Castro, 127 Rio de Janeiro
• Opening hours: 12.00noon-3.00pm and 7.00pm-12midnight

Aprazível

Set in the hilly bohemian neighbourhood of Santa Teresa, Aprazível is a must-visit for the views as well as the food. Rustic yet sophisticated, it serves hearty Brazilian dishes, with an extensive, Brazil-heavy wine list. Standout dishes include grilled palm heart with basil and cashew pesto, and octopus ‘carnival’.

• Address: Rua Aprazivel 62, Santa Teresa, Rio de Janeiro
• Opening hours: Wednesday-Saturday 12noon-11.00pm, Sunday 12noon-6.00pm, closed Monday and Tuesday

Bar Urca

Bar Urca sits at the bottom of Sugarloaf Mountain in a secluded spot that looks out over Guanabara Bay. It has a restaurant, but instead choose petiscos from the bar and perch on the sea wall to watch the boats loll and listen to the locals gossiping beside you.

• Address: Rua Cândido Gaffrée, 205, Urca
• Opening hours: Restaurant Monday-Saturday 11.00am-11.00pm, Sundays 11.00am-7.00pm. Bar Monday-Friday 6.30pm-11.00pm, Saturday 8.00pm-11.00pm and Sunday 8.00pm-10.00pm

Cru Natural Wine Bar

Capitalising on the success of their nearby WineHouse, Cru Natural Wine Bar is the second opening from Anglo-Brazilian pair Dominic and Selene Parry. It stocks only naturally fermented and organic wines, such as orange Riesling, Faccin Pinot Noir and Cacique Maravilla Pipeño from Chile. Customers can have a chance to meet producers at regular events and tastings.

• Address: 94 Rua Arnaido Quintela, 22280-070 Botafogo

La Bicyclette

Rio’s must-visit botanical gardens are a wonderland of towering palms, exotic trees, tropical flowers, resident monkeys and birds. You can enjoy breakfast before your visit or lunch afterwards at nearby La Bicyclette, a French café. It serves chunky stuffed sandwiches on homemade bread and also offers a cracking croque monsieur, along with a handful of wines.

• Address: Rua Pacheco Leão, 320 Loja D
• Opening hours: Monday-Saturday 8.30am-9.00pm and Sunday 8.30am-8.00pm

Feira de Sāo Cristóvão

Arguably, some of Brazil’s best food comes from the country’s northern stretches, where African and Caribbean influences infuse the cuisine. Feira do São Cristóvão is a merry melting pot of food stalls serving local delicacies such as acarajé (black-eyed pea and shrimp fritters) or cabrito ensopado (slow-cooked goat) with a soundtrack of live music.

• Address: Campo de São Cristóvão S/N, Pavilhão de São Cristóvão, Bairro de São Cristóvão
• Opening hours: Tuesday-Thursday 10.00am- 6.00pm, weekends and public holidays from 10.00am-8.00pm

São Paulo is a force to be reckoned with for its world class restaurants and innovative gastronomy scene. The biggest city in South America, São Paulo is a melting pot of different cultures and fusion cuisine and has become the driving force behind Brazil’s increasing wine consumption.

A new wave of unpretentious wine bars, intrepid importers and enthusiastic sommeliers are bringing wine to the fore and while the BYO culture is very big in São Paulo, below are a selection of wine bars and restaurants where you’d be missing out if you didn’t try their own wine selection.

Sede 261

With a mission to democratise wine, sommeliers Cássia Campos and Daniela Bravin have an intimate wine bar which spills out onto the cobblestone street. There’s no wine list but they select some 70 new labels each week to open up and pour by the glass to a loyal clientele who come to be surprised and educated in flights of wines from around the world, usually with a natural wine focus. The goal is to open minds and mouths which is why they keep their glass prices low and encourage punters to experiment. On Saturdays a Japanese oyster chef shucks and prepares pairings all afternoon, and the monthly Sunday brunch is the hottest date in São Paulo’s cool, urban wine scene. The Sede261 wine club, with music and wine pairings, keeps their clients’ wine fridges and speakers loaded midweek until the bar opens up again at the weekends.

• Sede 261, Rua Benjamin Égas 261, Pinheiros
• Thurs & Fri 5pm-11pm; Sat 2pm-9pm (open some Sundays)

Enoteca Saint VinSaint

When natural wine-convert Lis Cereja started looking for biodynamic and natural wines in São Paulo to open a wine bar in 2006, she realised she’d have to import them first. Starting with a small selection of wines she sourced from around South America, her candlelit wine bar and organic, slow food restaurant was one of the catalysts for the growing natural wine scene in Brazil and today Enoteca Saint VinSaint has over 350 artisan, natural wines on their list. Lis also runs the biggest natural wine fair in Latin America, Naturebas, and you can take away wines and organic produce from their store on site. On Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, live music accompanies throughout the evening.

• Enoteca Saint VinSaint, Rua Professor Atilio Inocenti 811, Vila Nova Conceição
• Tues-Fri 7pm-midnight; Sat 11am-4pm brunch & 8pm-midnight

Bocca Nera Bar

Serving ‘vinhos descomplicados’ (uncomplicated wines), the ethos behind Boccanera is to get locals drinking more wine. Hence why the owners created the first wine ‘rodizio’: where different bottles circulate the room in an all-you-can-drink format (akin to the Brazilian tradition of a BBQ rodizio). The colourful wine bar also offers Mediterranean-influenced bites and plates to soak up the copious, if uncomplicated, wine.

• Boccanera Bar, Rua Mourato Coelho 1160, Vila Madalena
• Tues-Sat 6pm till late

Beverino

This petite wine bar is run by young sommelier Bruno Bertoli who opens a collection of organic, biodynamic and natural wines by the glass with many more available by the bottle (or to take away). Artisanal cheeses and daily food specials complete the offering and give Beverino a local, neighbourhood vibe. Keep up with the Instagram for regular winemaker tastings and events.

• Beverino, Rua Generam Jardim 702
• Wed-Sat 2pm-midnight

A casa do Porco

If you’ve ever underestimated pork, then this restaurant will change your impression of the humble pig forever. Chef Jefferson Rueda grew up in the farm lands of São Paulo state and learnt how to use every cut of pork at the local butcher, which he elevates to some of the most playful, innovative and mouthwatering dishes. You’ll need to work through their list of Brazilian wines, including a winter harvest wine Jefferson makes with Casa Verrone in nearby Serra da Mantiqueira, in order to pair with this extraordinary feast of pork. Start with bubbles for the delicacy of pork tartare with caviar and the perfectly puffed up pork crackling, while the attentive sommelier eases you into their still wines for the homemade charcuterie, deep fried pork belly prepared as sushi and everything else in-between!

• A casa do Porco, Rua Araújo 124, Centro
• Mon-Sat midday to midnight; Sun midday-5pm

Fasano

Under the hand of one of the most experienced sommeliers in Brazil, Manoel Beato (who oversees wines for the whole Fasano restaurant group), Fasano is one of the most respected restaurants in the city with modern Italian haute cuisine and an unparalleled wine list. The international wine list boasts over 350 labels and while there’s a heavy emphasis on Italian wines, with some highly sought-after Barolo, Brunello and Chianti in particular, some national producers make the Fasano cut too.

• Rua Vittorio Fasano 88, Jardins
• Mon-Sat 7pm till late

D.O.M

No restaurant list about São Paulo can lack D.O.M. Ever since the former DJ and punk rocker Alex Atala stormed onto the gastronomy scene in 1999, D.O.M has become a reference for contemporary Brazilian cuisine with an emphasis on Amazonian ingredients. Named after the Benedictine monk motto ‘Deo Optimo Maximo’ (To God, The Good, The Great), there’s no lack of good and great wines on the wine pairing menu too. Head sommelier Gabriela Monteleone has put a natural wine focus on the tasting menu and seeks out some more unusual labels and old Criolla vines from South America and beyond to pair with their menu.

• Rua Barão de Capanema 549, Jardins
• Mon-Fri lunch & dinner. Sat 7pm-late

Ristorantino

With the largest Italian population outside of Italy, the Italian influence in São Paulo quite rightly runs through the cuisine (and the surrounding wine regions). Ristorantino is one of the top Italian restaurants in the city with a romantic setting and a bellissimo wine list. Promising young sommelier Juliana Carani helps diners navigate their way through over 150 labels which represent not only the classics of Italy and the Old World but also some appealing back vintages and harder-to-find artisan producers, alongside emerging classics from the New World and Brazil. Classy and intimate with attentive wine service.

• Ristorantino, Rua Melo Alves 674, Jardins
• Mon-Sat lunch & dinner, Sun midday-5pm

Komah

This rising star of modern Korean cuisine in São Paulo has a handful of interesting sake and soju cocktails and some quirky beers to sip on while you inevitably wait in queue for a table at this in-demand restaurant. While many will bring their own wines to uncork alongside the complex and delicious cuisine of young chef Paulo Shin, the restaurant also has a small but well-defined list of local and international wines that sit well with the wide range of exotic flavours that grace the table.

• Komah, Rua Cônego Vicente Miguel Marino 378
• Mon-Sat, lunch & dinner

More wine travel guides here

Take a journey to Serra Gaúcha, Brazil’s emerging destination for wine tourism.

Think of Brazil and your mind likely wanders toward Carnival and caipirinhas – not vineyards. Yet, for the past 25 years, a region in southern Brazil has quietly been flying under the radar as a centre for quality wine production – think California’s Napa Valley of the 1970s.

Flying into Porto Alegre in Brazil’s southernmost state Rio Grande del Sul, Serra Gaúcha is a short two-hour drive away, a rustic oasis in the middle of an otherwise industrial area (40% of Brazilian furniture is produced here). Comprised of five sub-regions and responsible for 80% of Brazilian wine production, the region’s main city, Bento Gonçalves, is also considered the country’s “wine capital.”

Despite receiving three million tourists last year, 95% are Brazilian and most production is consumed domestically. Yet, Brazil is starting to achieve international recognition for sparkling wines, as well as still reds (in particular Merlot). If you’d like to discover a world class wine region that’s still off the beaten path (for now), get there soon.

Brazilian Wine

Though grapevines were brought to Brazil by the Portuguese as far back as the early 1530s, it wasn’t until Italian immigrants arrived in 1875 with their technical knowledge and culture of wine-drinking that commercial wine production really took hold. Open trade agreements within South America in the early 1990s saw an influx of high quality Argentinian and Chilean wines, prompting many producers to shift from cheap table wines to fine wine production. Today there are more than 1,000 wineries in Brazil and the first appellation, Vale dos Vinhedos in Serra Gaucha, was established in 2002.

Because of the tropical climate, Serra Gaúcha does well with sparkling grape varieties that benefit from early harvesting. In addition, expansion of vineyards to drier areas further south, including Serra do Sudeste and Campanha on the border with Uruguay, are contributing to the country’s increasing output of fine still wines. Brazilian wines are starting to find their place on the world wine map, balancing tradition with surprisingly modern winemaking and use of technology.

Brazil Wineries to Visit

The most accessible part of Serra Gaúcha is the Vale dos Vinhedos, immediately surrounding Bento Gonçalves, so base yourself around here to make the most of your stay. However, I started my visit with a drive out to Pinto Bandeira, another sub-region about 25 minutes’ drive from the city that is expected to become Brazil’s first appellation devoted entirely to sparkling wines.

Since 1980, Cave Geisse has been producing traditional method sparkling wines. When I arrived – without an appointment and lacking the necessary Portuguese language skills to communicate – I thought the drive may have been for naught, until I was introduced to oenologist Felipe Abarzúa. Felipe took me on a tour of the facility and led me through a tasting of six of Cave Geisse’s sparkling wines. The wines had a unique sense of place and were particularly refreshing in the Brazilian heat.

Back in the Vale dos Vinhedos, Miolo is the region’s largest producer of fine wines, with a history dating back to 1897. Here you can even make your own wine – Miolo offers a winemaking program for tourists, including management of your own vineyard row, label design and bottling (plus a stay at the nearby Hotel and Spa do Vinho, the region’s most luxurious accommodation). Sadly, I didn’t get to enjoy their Wine Garden, which is open only on weekends, and I’m told is the place to enjoy a glass of bubbles in the late afternoon.

Next door, the entire family is actively involved in operations at Lidio Carraro. With a focus on minimal intervention and intensive research into soil mapping, Lidio Carraro aims to have a “purist” expression. All of their wines are unoaked, and every plot is vinified separately. Even without oak their Tannat and Quorum, a red blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Tannat and Cabernet Franc, were quite complex and age-worthy.

It was raining when I arrived at Pizzato Vinhas e Vinhos which put a damper on sitting on their inviting patio overlooking the valley. Nevertheless, their wines were impressive, particularly their Concentus Gran Reserva, a blend of Merlot, Tannat and Cabernet Sauvignon. Owner and winemaker Flavio Pizzato works only with estate-grown fruit and is known for making structured Merlots. Pizzato’s DNA Merlot is a single-vineyard wine released only in exceptional years.

Almaúnica looks like it has been plucked out of Napa, with a tree-lined drive leading up to a modern, clean winery. Relying on Google Translate, I went through one of their tasting options, the highlights of which were the sparkling Reserva Nature and almost Burgundian Reserva Chardonnay.

At Vinicola Salton winemaker Gregório Bircke Salton gave me a glimpse into the winery’s history via an impressive painted fresco on the property. Four out of ten sparkling wines sold in Brazil are produced by Salton. Like most of the wineries I visited on my trip, Salton also produces grape juice from native American grape varieties and recently released a line of grape teas, which I saw on the menu at the Hotel and Spa Do Vinho.

Casa Perini is located in the Valle Trentino in Farroupilha, another sub-region that specialises in Moscato production. Here you can do a bike tour on weekends, enjoy family recipes in the on-site tavern and take a tour from an expert: all tours are hosted by winemakers. Bárbara Ruppel, Export Manager, says that the culture in Serra Gaúcha is “very different than the rest of Brazil,” and it can take time to feel a part of it. However, by the time I’d reached Casa Perini, I’d already begun to feel like part of the Serra Gaúcha family.

Places to Eat

Serra Gaúcha is still new to tourism. Don’t come on a Sunday evening or Monday, or you’ll find most restaurants are closed like I did. In addition, I was surprised that it was nearly impossible to find wines by the glass, something I’d expect in a wine region.

Nevertheless, it’s hard not to eat well here, where the cuisine is heavily influenced by the region’s Italian heritage. I had my first meal in the city of Bento Gonçalves at Canta Maria Gastronomia, where I was introduced to the typical way of eating: family-style servings of meat, fish, pasta and salad.

Pizza Entre Vinhos is said to have the best pizza in the region. If you have a hard time making a decision between so many delicious-sounding pizzas on the menu like I did, you can even order one that is half of one recipe and half of another. The same owners run Trattoria Mamma Gema upstairs, which offers pasta seated on a beautiful outdoor terrace.

Perhaps the best meal I had was one I almost didn’t. After a brief visit to Wines of Brazil, Promotion Manager Diego Bertolini directed me to Sapore + Piacere, a place of “simple” food founded by a local chef. A buffet of salads, cheeses and meats was followed by perhaps the most delicious risotto I have ever tasted. Once again, no one spoke English, but I’m certain licking my plate clean communicated how much I savoured the meal.

Everyone I spoke with about Serra Gaúcha told me you must try Valle Rustico, a farm-to-table restaurant operating under the slow food philosophy. Sadly, they were closed the entire time I was there, but it is at the top of my list for my next visit.

Also, don’t miss local chocolate shop Mondē. As soon as you step through the door you’ll be met with the most delightful scent of melted chocolate. Just don’t buy too much or you’ll end up with melted chocolate yourself the moment you step back out into the Serra Gaúcha heat.

• Five of the best Wine Festivals in South America

Brazil's best wines range from high altitude Syrah and Bordeaux-style reds to sparkling wines and new-wave white wines being made in São Paulo. Getting your hands on them can be a challenge, but Dirceu Vianna Junior MW picks some of his favourites to look for.

Vines were introduced to Brazil’s São Paulo in 1532 by Portuguese explorer Brás Cubas, but conditions were not judged ideal and the experiment was abandoned.

Subsequent Portuguese settlers tried to cultivate vines in several different areas, but the place which responded best to viticulture was Rio Grande do Sul, the country’s southernmost state, bordering Argentina and Uruguay.

Scroll down to see Dirceu Vianna Junior MW’s top Brazilian wines to try

This area is responsible for about 90% of production today.In the green hills around Bento Gonçalves, it is possible to find excellent sparkling wines, the best crafted with Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.Still white wines can be good but are generally less exciting.

Reds, mainly from Bordeaux grapes, can be surprisingly good as they possess an Old World framework plus crisp acidity, firm structure and attractive savoury character. These wines are not as overt or fruit-forward in style as their counterparts elsewhere in South America.

Modern viticulture has enabled other areas of Brazil to be explored and a growing number of exciting wines are being produced in high-altitude vineyards in Santa Catarina.

People who associate Brazil with sunshine and sandy beaches would be astonished to see vineyards covered in snow and winter temperatures of -10°C. Yet the conditions here are ideal for viticulture, and are especially suited to Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir.

Projects are also appearing in other states. Ironically, some of the very best Brazilian wines today are made in São Paulo, previously dismissed as too hot and humid.

In the north of the state, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Viognier make interesting whites, and Syrah grown on high-altitude sites is producing exceptional reds.

Global stage

Brazil has only achieved mixed success in international markets, and opportunities to establish Brazilian wine as a serious proposition have faltered.

The key issue is that large producers are still chasing volume rather than trying to position the country as a serious producer of quality wines.

Due to small production scales, high labour costs and punitive taxation, the industry simply can’t compete on price with Chile and Argentina.

Wines must be of exceptional quality to ensure that consumers who buy one bottle, most likely drawn by its novelty factor, return for a second.

While the industry did not take full advantage of the opportunity to market its wines during the Rio 2014 FIFA World Cup and 2016 Olympics, Brazil still enjoys a positive image with international consumers – a great platform to build a successful marketing campaign.

Instead of fighting a losing battle at lower price points, Brazil should emulate New Zealand and work towards building an image for quality at the mid to premium end.

Exciting smaller projects are popping up all over the country, so there is more critical mass than in the recent past and, generally speaking, quality has never been higher.

Additionally, the 2018 vintage is set to be one of the greatest ever. Brazil has not yet managed to carve its share of the market, but there is still a chance.

Dirceu Vianna Junior MW is a consultant, wine educator and judge at the Decanter World Wine Awards. He is originally from Brazil

Great Brazilian wines worth seeking out

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Brazil has already made the grade in one medals table this year. We bring you five of the best Brazilian wines from the Decanter World Wine Awards 2016 as the Rio 2016 Olympics gets underway...

Whether you’re planning to watch the Rio 2016 Olympics opening ceremony, or watching the games themselves, you can get into the spirit of things with a bottle of award-winning wine from the Decanter World Wine Awards 2016 (DWWA).

• Scroll down to see the wines

At DWWA 2016, Brazil’s wines won platinum, gold, silver and bronze medals – with strong red, white and sparkling entries all making the podium.

• Decanter World Wine Awards 2016 winners revealed

Brazil is the fifth-largest wine producer in the southern hemisphere, behind Argentina, Australia, South Africa and Chile. It has more than 82,000 hectares of vineyards, across diverse cool climate terroirs.

Decanter consultant editor Steven Spurrier, who was also chair of DWWA 2016, has been watching Brazil closely.

• See Steven Spurrier’s top six wines from Brazil (2015)

Compared to Chile and Argentina, Brazilian wines have been slow to rise on the export market.

But there has been progress in recent years and producers have looked to use the 2014 FIFA World Cup and Rio 2016 Olympic Games to gain greater recognition for their wines on the world stage.

• FIFA World Cup drives Brazil wine export boom

Most award-winning entries were from Brazil’s most prominent wine region, Serra Gáucha.

It is home to the country’s first appellation of origin – Vale dos Vinhedos. Here, the vines benefit from the higher altitude, with cooler temperatures and increased rainfall. Several European varietals have blossomed in these conditions, including Casa Valduga’s Merlot and Aurora’s Brut Chardonnay.

So, whether you’re jetting off to watch the games, or watching from your sofa, experience the energy and passion of Brazil with one of these award-winning wines…

Five of the best Brazilian wines at DWWA 2016

Wines chosen based on availability

Editing by Chris Mercer

Croatia, Switzerland, Brazil, Bolivia, China, Czech Republic and Turkey. These are not normally the first countries you might think of when looking for wine. Yet all pulled off surprise wins at this year’s Decanter World Wine Awards.

There were high-level wins throughout this year’s DWWA for smaller wine producing countries, emphasising the wine world’s growing strength in depth.

Surprise winners of the top platinum – best in show medals include a red wine from Croatia and a white from Switzerland:

Platinum – Best in Show: Best White Blend over £15

95/100 – Diego Mathier Réserve, Nouveau Salquenen Ag, Adrian & Diego Mathier 2014, Valais, Switzerland

60% Savagnin, 30% Marsanne, 10% Petite Arvine

Platinum – Best in Show: Best Red Single-Varietal over £15

95/100 – Veralda 2015, Istria, Croatia

100% Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso

Brazil, which hosts the Rio 2016 Olympics this summer, also performed strongly in the DWWA 2016 medals table, taking one gold and two platinum medals in the over £15 categories.

Staying in South America, a Bolivian Tannat Malbec blend picked up a surprise platinum medal beating off stiff competition from better known rivals Chile and Argentina.

Sweet Surprise

The sweet wine category perhaps showed the most diversification of new and surprising areas with platinum awards going to a Croatian sweet wine, a Vidal based Ice Wine from China and a Riesling based Ice Wine from the Czech Republic. Czech Riesling is showing promise for dry wines too with Zamecké Vinarstvi Bzenec’s 2011 Riesling collecting a platinum award.

Nero d’Avola, best known for creating Sicily’s top red reds, was the grape used to create Turkey’s platinum winning entry this year while Grace winery in Japan secured two platinums.

Just 130 platinum medals were awarded in total; one level below ‘best in show’ and equivalent to the regional trophy medal in previous DWWA competitions.

The 2016 DWWA acknowledged and celebrated that the wine map is always expanding, changing and improving. This ever evolving landscape is just one of the many things that makes the current wine wine scene so exciting and vibrant.

See all DWWA 2016 Results here

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Which supermarket wines won top awards? DWWA 2016

UK supermarkets Asda and Marks & Spencer triumphed in this year’s Decanter World Wine Awards...

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See which of the 16,000 wines entered into the Decanter World Wine Awards 2016 has scooped one of the 31

The FIFA World Cup has been credited with driving a surge in consumer demand for Brazilian wine in 2014, with exports up by 75% versus the previous year.

Image Credit: Getty / Mike Hewitt / FIFA

Brazil’s wine institute, Ibravin, attributed the leap in exports to marketing and the increased ‘visibility’ of Brazil as last year’s World Cup host nation.

Total Brazilian wine exports reached 2.65m litres in 2014, the equivalent of 3.53m bottles, with a value of $9.5m, Ibravin said.

Exports to the UK, the single largest importer of Brazilian wine, shot up by 400% versus 2013. Exports increased off a relatively low base to the equivalent of 583,00 bottles, worth $1.9m.

Fifteen Brazilian producers export to the UK, and Copestick Murray Wine Importers launched its own brand of Brazilian Moscato a year ago.

‘Miollo, Aurora, Salton and Casa Valduga are the top selling Brazilian producers in the UK,’ said Judy Kendrick of JK Marketing Ltd, the UK marketing agency trade body Wines of Brazil. ‘We are looking for more Brazilian producers to export wine to meet demand,’ Kendrick said.

Nicolas Corfe, commercial director of Go Brazil Wines & Spirits, a UK company that exclusively imports Brazilian wine, said a broad range of styles were selling well.

‘The World Cup was largely responsible for the increase in volumes, but also demand has gained traction over the past five years because of the increase in the quality of Brazilian wines,’ Corfe said.

Producers and traders hope Brazil’s hosting of the Olympics in 2016 will give Brazilian wine a further boost.

Related Content:

• Official Brazil 2014 World Cup wine revealed
• Video: Brazil 2014 World Cup wine Lidio Carraro at Vinexpo
• See Steven Spurrier’s top six wines from Brazil

Written by Barnaby Eales

More famous for sport than wine, Brazil nevertheless has a vine-growing heritage that is coming to the fore. Steven Spurrier explores the country's regions and top estates, and is intrigued by what he finds...

Quick links:

• Visiting Serra Gaûcha
• Brazilian wine producers
• Meanwhile, don’t overlook Uruguay…
• Steven Spurrier’s top 6 wines from Brazil

The largest country in South America, Brazil is the fifth-largest wine producer in the southern hemisphere, behind Argentina, Australia, South Africa and Chile. Its vineyards cover an impressive 82,000 hectares, yet, while expanding significantly, only 10,000ha are planted to vitis vinifera. And although a certain volume of wine is exported, this accounts for only 10% of its output.

The country is more famous for sport than wine, and with the football World Cup this summer and the Olympics in 2016, producers are determined to take advantage. I feel their efforts won’t be in vain.

The regions

Serra Gaûcha: Known as ‘little Italy’ because the estates are mostly owned by third- and fourth- generation Italians, following an exodus from the Veneto at the end of the 19th century, this region accounts for almost 85% of Brazil’s fine-wine production. As such it will remain the focus of the country’s wines, even while the smaller regions are expanding. here, two hours north of the bustling city of Porto Alegre, is the country’s only Denominación Origen, Vale dos Vinhedos; and the recently created geographical Indication of Pinto Bandeira, famous for its traditional-method sparkling wines.

Vines are planted at 450-750 metres above sea level, and soils are varied, with a high proportion of basalt. summer temperatures average 22 ̊C, with mild nights that suit the Bordeaux varieties Cabernet sauvignon and widely planted Merlot and Cabernet Franc, as well as Tannat and Pinot Noir, for the reds; Chardonnay, Viognier, Riesling and sauvignon Blanc for the whites; and Moscato and Malvasia for sweet and Charmat-method sparkling.

Campanha: Situated on the southern border with uruguay, the vines in ‘New horizons’ (as the region is known) are planted 200-450 metres above sea level on mainly granite and limestone soils. Temperatures are high, ripening grapes perfectly, and suit Cabernet sauvignon, Tannat, Touriga Nacional, Tempranillo and, to a lesser extent, Merlot and Pinot Noir for red; and Chardonnay, sauvignon, Pinot gris and gewurztraminer for whites. Plantings of these and new varieties continue to increase.

Serra do Sudeste: A small region north of Campanha, south of serra gaûcha and nearer the ocean, with similar elevations, temperatures and soil. Cooling sea breezes bring complexity and balance, and have encouraged plantings of Ancelota, Alicante Bouschet, Barbera, gamay, Malbec, Marselan, Periquita, syrah, Teroldego and Touriga Nacional, alongside the classic reds, and adding Malvasia and Riesling to the whites.

Planalto Catarinense: To the north of serra gaûcha and known as ‘The highlands’, this is the newest, highest (at 900–1,400 metres) and coldest wine region in the country. so far, just Cabernet, Merlot and Pinot Noir are planted for reds, and Chardonnay and sauvignon for whites, producing balanced wines with fresh acidity. Riesling will likely join them soon, with possibilities for ice wine.

Vale do São Francisco: Some 3,000 miles north of serra gaûcha lies ‘The New latitude’, the only one of the five regions where irrigation is necessary and where the sedimentary soils from the san Francisco river produce two harvests a year, the vines undergoing a 120- to 130-day cycle. Temperatures are high – 20 ̊C in winter and 31 ̊C in summer on average. Alicante Bouschet, syrah, Tempranillo, Touriga Nacional and Cabernet sauvignon survive the heat, as do Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, Malvasia and Moscato, the latter for a Charmat-method sparkler.

The wines

I first visited Brazil five years ago for a wine fair, and apart from some well-made wines from Salton and Miolo, the oldest and largest producers, and some very individual ones from Lidio Carraro, I was not overly impressed – it seemed worlds away from Argentina and Chile, even Tannat-dominated Uruguay. This year, on my first visit to the vineyards, I was both impressed by the present and excited for the future. The main producers, big and small, and mostly with European backgrounds, respect their vineyards, and the GTGT (grape-to-glass transfer, John Livingstone-Learmonth’s phrase for characterful wines) was not stymied by oak, alcohol nor over-ambitious winemaking.

Diversity was the key. Of course, these wines were all new to me, but the difference in taste and flavours, while avoiding excess of any kind, save for sweetness of the sparklers for the local palate, was a joy. There are some serious wines that will compete on the international scene, but what I was left with was an impression of varietal-vineyard wines, mostly fruit-dominated, with balance and charm to enhance any meal.

The climate, particularly in Serra Gaûcha, with its cooling sea breezes from the Atlantic, can suit French, northern Italian and northern Spanish grape varieties. Currently Merlot dominates the reds, but Malbec and Tannat are increasing, more in blends than on their own, as is Tempranillo. The cool nights suit Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, the latter having a small but exciting future – for lovers of the world’s most capricious grape, Brazil will produce some great surprises. Perhaps its most ‘fun’ grape is Moscato (thanks to the Italian influence), of which many clones are planted for Charmat- method sparkling wines, mostly off-dry and so full of exuberance and fruit as to be irresistible.

Written by Steven Spurrier

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More famous for sport than wine, Brazil nevertheless has a vine-growing heritage that is coming to the fore. Steven Spurrier explores the country's regions and top estates, and is intrigued by what he finds...

Brazilian wine producers

Casa Valduga: Founded in 1973, this estate now owns 250ha across three regions. The traditional- method sparkling wines – a Chardonnay-dominated Brut 130 and a 2006 Brut Nature – are very good, and I found the Raizes Cabernet Franc 2010 from Campanha had all the crunchy fruit expected of it. (Exel Wines)

Cave Geisse: This is Brazil’s renowned producer of traditional-method sparklers solely from Pinto Bandeira. Its Brut Nature 2009 and Blanc de Noirs 2009 are in a class of their own and prove Brazil will become a major player in bubbles. (Go Brazil)

Domno: Under Casa Valduga ownership, Domno produces only Charmat-method sparkling wines, of which the Nero brand is the one to look for.

Dunamis: Founded in 2010 with a production of just 50,000 litres from 25ha in Serra Gaûcha, this is new-generation Brazil at its best, personified by the young winemaker Vinicius Cercato. His Cabernet Franc 2011 won a Sliver at last year’s Decanter World Wine Awards, and I’m surprised his 2011 Merlot did not. His 2011 Cop, a blend of the two Cabernets with 40% Merlot, is very smart.

Lidio Carraro: I cannot hide the fact that this winery, now in its fifth generation, is my favourite. It wishes to preserve the authenticity of variety and terroir and never uses oak, preferring that the wine speaks of the soil, not what it is aged in. From Serra do Sudeste comes its Dádivas brand with lovely sparklers, clear-fruited Chardonnay and really good Pinot Noir and Tempranillo. The Singular label shows expressive Nebbiolo and Teroldego, while the Elos and Lidio Carraro labels are top class. (Go Brazil)

Miolo: (pictured above) Giuseppe Miolo arrived in Vale dos Vinhedos in 1897, and invested all his savings in planting vines on a plot of land called Lote 43. Today, the CEO Adriano Miolo heads a company producing 12 million litres from four of the five wine regions, exporting 30%. On my visit he hosted a wide range of wines from Campanha. Designated in the 1940s by Dr Harold Olmo from the University of Davis, California, as one of South America’s most suitable region for viticulture, this is borne out by the 2,000ha now under vine. The Pinot Grigio 2012, Quinta do Seival Touriga Nacional/Tinto Roriz 2011 blend, and the Tannat 2012 from 38-year-old vines, stood out. In May, the Cuvée Giuseppe Chardonnay 2012, Merlot Terroir 2009 and Lote 43 Merlot/ Cabernet 2011 were very expressive, while the single-vineyard sparkling Millesime 2009 was elegance itself. (Bibendum)

Pizzato: The family’s first vines were planted in the Vale dos Vinhedos in 1875. Today, winemaker Flavio Pizzato, his brother and two sisters run this 42ha vineyard and winery. The Fausto label shows good, fresh varietal wines, while the Pizzato label provides reds with exceptional depth and clarity of fruit, especially the Concentus 2007. Its DNA99 Merlot 2005 was voted Brazil’s best red in 2011 by the country’s leading wine magazine. (Go Brazil)

Salton: Antonio Salton arrived in what is now Serra Gaûcha in 1878 and, in 1910, his son Paulo opened the first winery to be officially established in Brazil. Daniel Salton now runs a company whose own vineyards are bolstered by grapes from more than 700 contract growers. Brazil’s largest producer of Charmat- and traditional-method sparkling wine, Salton’s Prosecco and Moscato are fresh and fruity. Like all big wineries, Salton has several levels of quality: the first is Volpi, with good Chardonnay and Sauvignon; the next Intense, with splendid Cabernet Franc, Tannat and Teroldego; and above these Desejo, a 100% Merlot, and Talente, a Cabernet/Merlot/Tannat blend. (Legacy Wines)

ViniBrasil: Part of the Portuguese group Dão Sul, ViniBrasil produces two crops a year from its 200ha in Vale do São Francisco. Apart from some Charmat- method sparklers, all the still wines are bottled in Portugal under the Rio Sol label. (PLB)

Vinícola Aurora In 1931, 16 families of grape growers joined forces to create Vinícola Aurora, now the country’s largest producer with 42 million litres and 30% of the home market. It exports under two brands, Aurora and Brazilian Soul: both have a nice range of varietal wines, including a great Pinot Noir 2012, at just £8.99.(Stevens Garnier)

Next page Previous page

More famous for sport than wine, Brazil nevertheless has a vine-growing heritage that is coming to the fore. Steven Spurrier explores the country's regions and top estates, and is intrigued by what he finds...

Meanwhile, don’t overlook Uruguay…

Known as ‘the boutique’ in South America, Uruguay has barely more than 8,000ha planted to vine (Argentina has 200,000ha). Most are in the south around Montevideo, the capital; and 25% is Tannat.

Tannat, introduced in Uruguay in around 1870 by Basque immigrants, is not an easy variety, especially for modern palates that are used to smooth, ripe tannins. Tannat heads in the other direction – it is harsher and has firm tannins and thick skins, characteristics that allow it to adapt in a country where humidity is a major issue (1,000mm of rain falls annually, and the influences of the Atlantic and River Plate add even more humidity).

Although international consultants, such as Alberto Antonini and Michel Rolland, have tried to tame Tannat’s astringency with longer ripening and new oak barrels, true Tannat is wild – the type that can stand up to the juicy, fatty beef cooked on a Uruguayan barbecue. Closer to 13% alcohol than the 15% that is more common in the New World, these reds need years in the bottle, though Tannat is often made with Beaujolais-style carbonic maceration to calm its astringency and turn it into something simple, young, vibrant and crisp. If you close your eyes, the winemaking is closer to traditional European than it is to the warm and lush styles more often seen around here.

Finally, there’s the soil. Most of the ‘grand cru’ of Tannat is found in the southern zone, where 90% of Uruguayan viticulture is concentrated, and where clay-lime soils lend a peculiar austerity. More than nose, what they offer is palate, with imposing structure made of cement with no more adornment than its firm, marble-hard bones. More ambitious Tannats come from soils with a higher percentage of lime among the clay. Wineries such as Carrau, Los Cerros de San Juan, Antigua Bodega Stagnari, Estancia Piedra and De Lucca exemplify this austere, potent and deep style that Tannat can reach when it’s not over-ripened.

If you like Baga from Bairrada, if you think Sagrantino from Montefalco deserves more attention than it already gets, if you are among those who believe that Pinot Noir is not as feminine as everybody thinks and that Nebbiolo’s value is related more to its structure than its adorable floral aromas, then you might be in for a surprise with Tannat from the rolling hills along the Uruguayan coast – one of the best-kept secrets of South American viticulture.

Next page Previous page

More famous for sport than wine, Brazil nevertheless has a vine-growing heritage that is coming to the fore. Steven Spurrier explores the country's regions and top estates, and is intrigued by what he finds...

Steven Spurrier’s top 6 wines from Brazil

Cave Geisse Brut, Pinto Bandeira, Serra Gaucha 1998

18.5/20pts (95/100pts)

A 70% Chardonnay/30% Pinot Noir blend in magnum. Fine, full gold colour; bready, honeyed and rich on the nose; very rich and complex on the palate. Beautifully textured and mature.

Price: £35 Go Brazil

Drink 2013–2015

Alc 12.5%

Lidio Carraro, Grande Vindima Merlot, Encruzilhada do Sul 2005

18/20pts (93/100pts)

Fine deep red with mature rim, very Merlot/ Pomerol nose with cassis, spice and chocolate. Rich on the palate; full, fleshy yet elegant and firm. Very good indeed.

Price: £45 Go Brazil

Drink 2013–2015

Alc 14.2%

Pizzato DNA99, Vale dos Vinhedos 2008

18/20pts (93/100pts)

Superb black-purple-red, a nose of dark summer fruits and lovely natural richness on the palate. Oak blended to show voluptuous texture, and elegant tannins.

Price: £55 Go Brazil

Drink 2013–2018

Alc 13.8%

Lidio Carraro, Dádivas Pinot Noir, Encruzilhada do Sul 2012

17.5/20pts (91/100pts)

Deep with purple rim, lovely black cherries, Pinot on the nose, lovely texture and fruit on the palate. Good energy and depth.

Price: £16 Go Brazil

Drink 2013–2018

Alc 14%

Miolo Sesmarias, Campanha 2008

17.5/20pts (91/100pts)

A blend of Touriga Nacional, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Tannat and Tempranillo aged for two years in new French oak and bottled without fining or filtration. Deep purple-red, great depth of fruit with spice, black chocolate and lots of grip. Tannins still there but the fruit dominates. Has a great future.

Price: POA Bibendum

Drink 2013–2018

Alc 14%

Casa Valduga Raizes Cabernet Franc, Campanha 2010

16.5/20pts (88/100pts)

Also from Campanha, this has a good deep colour, very good red-fruit nose and is crunchy and fresh on the palate. The oak (50% French, 50% American) is well blended in. Nicely extracted with some elegance.

Price: N/A UK casavalduga.com.br

Drink 2013–2015

Alc 13.5%

Previous page

Brazil's decade-old love affair with imported wine has hit a rough patch due to an economic slowdown curbing middle class spending power, analysts at Rabobank have said.

Annual wine imports have tripled in Brazil over the past ten years, but slower economic growth, inflation and a depreciating local currency have ‘dramatically’ curtailed rising demand.

Substandard storage facilities at ports and poor transport infrastructure are also dampening wine’s potential.

After tepid growth for wine imports in both volume and value terms in 2012, Rabobank analysts have warned that the market in 2013 remains lacklustre.

‘I wouldn’t be surprised if 2014 was not a spectacular year either,’ Rabobank analyst Stephen Rannekleiv told Decanter.com.

However, he believes that passion for foreign wine will be rekindled longer-term. ‘Our view is that this is a temporary pause,’ he said, citing Brazil’s large population and economic potential.

One corner of the market currently flourishing is direct-to-consumer wine sales, partly fed by a rise in middle class dinner parties. ‘You see affluent consumers entertaining more at home,’ said Rannekleiv.

Another trend is large retailers delisting slower-selling bottles, which will likely benefit bigger wine brands.

In 2012, Brazil imported close to 80m litres of wine with a value of US$300m, official figures show. Chile and Argentina are key suppliers, with Italy and Portugal also strong due to historical and cultural ties.

Higher imports have pushed wine up the political agenda in Brazil. Late last year, the government sidestepped calls by some domestic producers to put quotas on foreign shipments.

Written by Chris Mercer

Playlist 19 Videos

Video: Brazil 2014 World Cup wine Lidio Carraro at Vinexpo 02:23

Vinexpo 2013: Robert Beynat 03:18

Video: Michel Drappier at Vinexpo 01:47

SWA: Essential guide to Spanish Garnacha - Jane Parkinson 06:09

SWA: Altitude in Spanish wines - Helena Nicklin 03:56

SWA: Journey through the Spanish Landscape - Susy Atkins 06:55

SWA: Ageworthy whites from Spain - Sarah Jane Evans MW 11:36

The rich diversity of Spanish wines 09:12

Decanter Fine Wine Encounter 2017 01:25

DWWA 2017 Judging Week video 01:58

How to taste en primeur wines 00:00

Decanter Fine Wine Encounter 2016: Discovery Theatres 01:00

Decanter Fine Wine Encounter 2016 02:24

Video: How to make mulled wine for Christmas 04:12

2016 Decanter Shanghai Fine Wine Encounter consumer video 02:22

California Wines Green Tour - Promotion 01:06

California road trip video - Promotion 01:26

California Wines Food Tour - Promotion 01:01

Discover California wines - Promotion 03:03

Decanter visited the Official Brazil 2014 World Cup wine stand, Lidio Carraro at Vinexpo, to find out more about the wine range Faces, and how the boutique winery was selected by Fifa to represent the country's wine industry.

Written by Georgina Hindle

Playlist 19 Videos

Video: Brazil 2014 World Cup wine Lidio Carraro at Vinexpo 02:23

Vinexpo 2013: Robert Beynat 03:18

Video: Michel Drappier at Vinexpo 01:47

SWA: Essential guide to Spanish Garnacha - Jane Parkinson 06:09

SWA: Altitude in Spanish wines - Helena Nicklin 03:56

SWA: Journey through the Spanish Landscape - Susy Atkins 06:55

SWA: Ageworthy whites from Spain - Sarah Jane Evans MW 11:36

The rich diversity of Spanish wines 09:12

Decanter Fine Wine Encounter 2017 01:25

DWWA 2017 Judging Week video 01:58

How to taste en primeur wines 00:00

Decanter Fine Wine Encounter 2016: Discovery Theatres 01:00

Decanter Fine Wine Encounter 2016 02:24

Video: How to make mulled wine for Christmas 04:12

2016 Decanter Shanghai Fine Wine Encounter consumer video 02:22

California Wines Green Tour - Promotion 01:06

California road trip video - Promotion 01:26

California Wines Food Tour - Promotion 01:01

Discover California wines - Promotion 03:03

Brazilian winery Lidio Carraro has beaten off competition from larger rivals to be the official wines supplier for the FIFA 2014 World Cup, to be held in Brazil.

The 5th generation-owned winery, based in the Serra Gaúcha, the highland region of southern Brazil, said that under the deal it will double production and significantly expand distribution.

Lidio Carraro will launch a new range under the name Faces, which will have exclusive rights to the official FIFA seal worldwide, and will be served at FIFA-organised events up to and including the World Cup.

A first red wine under the Faces label will be launched in May. Further details of the range will be released at the Prowein trade show this week.

Lidio Carraro makes a range of still and sparkling wines from Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Tempranillo, Tannat, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

‘We feel this is a huge responsibility,’ Patricia Carraro, marketing and export manager, told Decanter.com. ‘We hope to translate through these wines the diversity and the unique personality that Brazilian wines have.’

She described the 2014 World Cup as an ‘unmissable opportunity’ for Brazilian wine on the international stage.

She said talks with world football’s governing body began following a meeting at the Soccerex Fair in 2011. ‘They did a tasting with our wines in Switzerland, and also in Brazil, together some wine specialists for evaluation,’ said Carraro.

Lidio Carraro is already held in high regard by some of the world’s top wine critics.

‘I have long admired for their purity of expression,’ said Decanter consultant editor Steven Spurrier, following a recent visit.

‘The family’s wine wishes to preserve the authenticity of each grape variety, each terroir and to remain totally Brazilian [and] never use oak, preferring that the wine speaks of its soil, not what it is matured in.’

Written by Chris Mercer

The Brazilian government has sidestepped a campaign to put quotas on imported wines by striking a deal to give wine more shelf space in the country's supermarkets.

Wines of Brazil: dropped calls for protection

The Brazilian Wine Institute (Wines of Brazil) has dropped calls for greater protection of domestic wines in return for the deal, which it has agreed with wine importers, government and ABRAS, the Brazilian Association of Supermarkets.

Together, the parties are committed to doubling the total consumption of ‘fine wine’ in Brazil over the next four years, to around 40m litres.

‘This is great news,’ Nicolas Ozanam, head of French wine and spirits export body FEVS told Decanter.com.

However, uneven import taxes remain a problem. While the likes of Bordeaux, Burgundy and Champagne are showing promise in Brazil, wines from Argentina and Chile lead the way due to lower tax on wines from those countries.

‘For European wines, the import tariff is 27%,’ said Ozanam. ‘We hope it will go down, but I wouldn’t bet on it in the near future.’

Bilateral trade talks between the European Union and South American trading bloc Mercosur could lead to a breakthrough, but these have ‘progressed very slowly’, he added.

Still, European wine bodies welcomed the Brazilian government’s decision to reject proposals for tighter import rules.

‘No doubt this is a strong precedent against further protectionist temptations, not only in Brazil, but also in other markets,’ said José Ramón Fernández, secretary of the European Wine Committee (CEEV).

Earlier this month, Brazil also recognised Napa Valley wines as a geographic inidication.

Written by Chris Mercer

Waitrose is set to be the first UK supermarket to sell a wine from China – a red blend billed as the perfect match for a Friday night takeaway.

Changyu Cabernet Gernischt 2011 will be on the retailer’s shelves from mid-August and will feature in its Waitrose World of Wine showcase from 28 August – alongside a Brazilian sparkling also claimed as a first for a UK supermarket.

Miolo Cuvee Tradition Brut Rose NV, priced at £11.99, is described as having ‘a gorgeous rose pink hue, fine and persistent mousse with delicate strawberry and cherry fruit aromas’.

The Changyu wine is from Ningxia, and is said to be ‘spicy, aromatic and juicy’, selling at £9.99 a bottle.

‘We’re bringing in a new era of lesser-known wines being sold in the UK as the interest in China, and more specifically the Chinese wine industry, continues to grow,’ said Waitrose wine buyer Katie Mollet.

‘The Changyu is also great for your Friday night takeaway; perfect with Chinese-style beef with ginger and spring onion.’

The introduction of the new wines follows the supermarket’s successful launch of two Indian wines last year.

Written by Richard Woodard

São Paulo, Brazil

Address: Rua Pedro Humberto 9, Itaim, São Paulo, Brazil

www.expand.com.br

For the first time in Brazil, the Decanter World Wine Awards Global Tasting will be hosted by Expand, pioneers in the expansion of wine consumption in Brazil, with a portfolio of more than 1000 labels from 14 countries. A selection of 16 wines will be served by the glass in Bar des Arts, São Paulo, during the month of October. Consumers can buy these wines with 20% off in all 18 Expand stores across Brazil or via the internet on www.expand.com.br

“We are honoured to be a part of this international event. Wine tasting has become a massive trend in Brazil and with the DWWA tasting event, we have the opportunity to present the excellent award-winning wines from Decanter.”

Otavio Piva de Albuquerque, Expand Founder and President

The selected award winning wines available are:

• Klein Constantia, KC Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot, Constantia 2008 South Africa (Regional Trophy: South African Red Bordeaux Varietal over £10)
• Morgenhof, Merlot, Stellenbosch 2007 South Africa (Silver)
• Morgenhof, Chenin Blanc, Stellenbosch 2009 South Africa SA (Bronze)
• Domaine Vistalba, Viñalba Reserva Malbec, Patagonia 2009 Argentina (Silver)
• Domaine Vistalba, Viñalba Cabernet Sauvignon, Mendoza 2010 Argentina (Bronze)
• Arboleda, Cabernet Sauvignon, Aconcagua Valley 2009 Chile (Commended)
• Arboleda, Chardonnay, Aconcagua 2010 Chile (Commended)
• Morandé, Gran Reserva Cabernet Sauvignon, Maipó Valley 2009 Chile (Silver)
• Bodegas Roda, Roda Reserva, Rioja Reserva 2006 Spain (Regional Trophy: Red Rioja over £10)
• Bodegas La Horra, Corimbo, Ribera del Duero 2008 Spain (Silver)
• Emilio Lustau, Puerto, Sherry 0 Spain (Commended)
• Château de Parenchère, Bordeaux 2008 France (Commended)
• Fratelli Nistri Sas, Redolo, Tuscany 2007 Italy (Commended)
• Renato Ratti, Marcenasco, Piedmont 2006 Italy (Silver)
• Umani Ronchi, Plenio, Marche 2007 Italy (Commended)
• Umani Ronchi, Cumaro, Riserva, Marche 2007 Italy (Bronze)
• Umani Ronchi, Pelago, Marche 2007 Italy (Bronze)

This promotion occurred in October 2011.

Written by

Around 4,500 people in the Brazilian wine sector took to the streets earlier this month, asking the government to renegociate its wine agreements with other South American countries.

The protesters, who gathered in the south eastern town of Porto Allegre, have the support of more than 20 Brazilian wine associations and labour unions. They threaten to take their fight to the Brazilian capital and set up roadblocks along Brazil’s borders if their demands are not met.

Brazilian wine industry leaders are demanding that the government revoke its 2002 wine accord with Chile, step up the fight against illegal wine imports, and implement a raft of favourable domestic policies, including minimum grape prices and special state funds to strengthen the wine sector.

Hermes Zaneti, president of the Wine and Grape Chamber of Brazil, told decanter.com that the livelihood of 15,000 families which produce Brazilian wine grapes is under threat. Due to low import tariffs, he said, half of the Brazilian wine market is in the hands of Argentina and Chile.

‘In a globalized economy we cannot accept that only the market decides the lives of people,’ said Zaneti. ‘We want our government to be more of a regulator to prevent free trade from killing wines made in Brazil.’

However Wines of Chile president Rene Merino said it was unlikely Brazil would cancel its wine trade commitments with Chile.

‘We don’t believe those agreements can be cancelled. It would mean a major contravention of WTO rules,’ he said.

Written by Jimmy Langman