A vineyard in Bento Gonçalves,
Brazil's wine capital.
Despite stories to the contrary, Brazil is
not ALL rain forest, beaches and bossa nova.
Its sheer size extends
down to more temperate climates far from the equator, where the
climate is cooler - and drier. Here is where
Italian immigrants began modern-day wine growing in Brazil in the 1880's to grow the crop into a major industry.
Today, most
vines continue to grow well below the tropical north, with the town of Bento Goncalves at the center of the Brazilian wine country located in Rio Grande do Sul,
Brazil's southernmost state.
The main wineries are Miolo, Casa Valduga and Cave do Amadeu, producing wine from European Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay grapes.
More about Brazilian wines & wineries around the Web:
Brazil
Wineries - The complete list of Brazilian wineries and
vineyards online, in an alphabetical list, from Travelenvoy.com.
Brazilian wine - Wikipedia overview with information about Brazilian grape varieties and wine regions including a map and related references.