Rio 2016 - Top Brazilian wines to drink as you watch the Olympics

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).

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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…