• Home
  • About
  • Contact
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter

The Tasty Escape | A Food and Travel Blog

  • Restaurant Reviews
  • Destinations
    • Argentina
    • Brazil
    • Dominican Republic
    • Italy
    • Mexico
    • Portugal
    • Switzerland
    • United States
      • Arkansas
      • California
      • Chesapeake Bay – Maryland
      • Chesapeake Bay – Virginia
      • Colorado
      • Connecticut
      • Florida
      • Georgia
      • Illinois
      • Lousiana
      • Maine
      • Maryland
      • Nevada
      • New Jersey
      • New York
      • North Carolina
      • Ohio
      • Oklahoma
        • Oklahoma City
      • Rhode Island
      • South Carolina
      • Tennessee
      • Texas
      • Vermont
      • Virginia
      • Virginia Wine Country
      • Washington DC
  • Work With Us
  • Blog

Getting to Brazilian Wine Country

BrazilPosted by Kacy

6 May

We recently returned from our first big trip during our time here in Brazil – to Brazilian Wine Country! One of our big goals for this experience is to see as much of Brazil as we possibly can in the time we have. As such, our trip to the south to Rio Grande do Sol was a bit of a zany choice. When our friends in Bauru asked us about where we were going, they seemed a bit perplexed as to why we were going somewhere “cold” (aka not hot) where there was no beach.
Vines at Vinhos Larentis - Vale dos VinhedosSome did note that the area was rumored to be beautiful (it is), that drinking at wineries sounded fun (it was) and that they have great furniture stores in the region (um, didn’t quite get around to that, but good to know). But for the most part not many seemed to understand our enthusiasm for this particular trip.

But if you know Tom and me at all, you know that wine is kind of our thing and we were determined to give Brazil’s underrated wine region a thorough exploration.
On top of the Cave de Pedra castle - Vale dos VinhedosThis marks our fourth wine country experience, the first three being Napa, Portugal and Virginia. We love the whole wine tourism experience, from the inevitably beautiful scenery to the diverse tasting experiences and of course – the wine!
Wine at Casa Postal Vinicola and Bistro, Bento GoncalvesAnd although Brazil is relatively unknown for being a great wine destination, it has a ton to offer wine lovers, and everyone else too. Most of Brazil’s wineries are located in the state of Rio Grande do Sol in the South of Brazil in the Serra Gaucha region and specifically around the city of Bento Goncalves.
Entrance to Bento GoncalvesOne of the main reasons, I imagine, that the area is not more well-known is that it’s relatively hard to reach, especially for those of us who don’t live near a major airport. For Tom and I to make the trip, we drove from Bauru to Guarulhos (about four hours) to catch a quick one hour and forty-five minute flight to Porto Alegre. From there, we rented a car and drove to Bento Goncalves.

While the distance between the two cities isn’t much (about 115 km or 71.5 miles), when we looked up the best way to make the trip we noticed that several websites warned foreigners not to make the drive and to instead take a bus. We didn’t take that advice, because we knew we’d need a car to get around to all the wineries and because we’re not your average foreigners, or so we thought.

And for the most part, the drive really isn’t so bad. However, we left Porto Alegre at rush hour and caught a ton of traffic on the drive out there. It was also dark for the majority of our trip which was a bummer because we couldn’t see all the awesome scenery I’d read about. Due to the traffic, what should have taken an hour and a half took closer to three, but we had a lot of fun Brazilian music on the radio to keep us company so it really wasn’t so bad.

The drive back, on a Monday around noon, was a breeze. So I think it’s all about timing. Bento Goncalves itself, is also a bit of a chore to drive. Tom will attest to this. As a true mountain town, there are some seriously steep roads. It was actually usually flatter out in the wine country than in the city. But being on the road less traveled just made our time in the Serra Gaucha all the more special.
Caminhos de Pedra - Cantina StrapazzonThe scenery was as breathtaking as I’ve seen on any wine trip, or anywhere really.
View from the top of Cave de Pedra Bento Goncalves, Brazil
Serra Gaucha view Rio Grande do SolOn a drive to one of the wineries, we spotted a waterfall in the distance. The photo doesn’t do it justice, but we were kind of obsessed with it.
Serra Gaucha view Rio Grande do SolThe sunsets were another favorite.
Sunset over Bento Goncalves, Brazil
Sunset over Bento Goncalves, BrazilOf course, most of our time was spent exploring the wineries, which were each wonderful and unique in their own way. More on that in my next post!

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
Share
Pin
Tweet
Share
0 Shares

5 Comments

« Jardim Bôtanico Bauru
Wine Tasting in Brazil: A Guide to Bento Goncalves »

Comments

  1. jessica says

    May 6, 2015 at 3:22 pm

    WOW! I’m sure your beautiful pictures are just a taste, but what a gorgeous place to explore! I always figure there have to be at least a FEW good wines to take away from any vineyard, and even if you don’t find something you love, it’s all about the experience.

    Reply
  2. Parita @ myinnershakti says

    May 7, 2015 at 5:49 pm

    Amazing pictures! Absolutely gorgeous! And I love that you and Tom took an “out of the box” trip. The one thing I wish Vishnu and I had done in Italy was visit/tour a winery.

    Reply
  3. Camille says

    May 9, 2015 at 1:07 am

    It’s great that you went off the beach trail to experience something different, and from the pictures it looks like you totally made the right choice! i can see why you were obsessed with that waterfall btw 🙂

    Reply
  4. Ray says

    December 10, 2015 at 9:30 am

    Wow! That is a awesome journey you two took on there! I didn’t even realize Brazil had a “wine country.” I associate South American wines to be produced in Chile, Argentina and (to a lesser extent) Uruguay!

    Reply
    • Kacy says

      December 23, 2015 at 12:55 pm

      It is definitely one of the lesser known wine countries, but worth the visit! They have a ways to go to increase demand for their product since most Brazilians prefer beer or liquor (and some of wineries have a long way to go in winemaking) but I think it will only get better each year! I was glad we got to visit Mendoza while we were in SA, but would have loved to have seen Chile and Uruguay as well. Next time I hope!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter




Recent Posts

  • Oklahoma Getaway: A Weekend Trip to Broken Bow
  • Chester Minima Suitcase: Doing Away with the Travel Blues
  • Tasty Escape’s OKC Dining Guide: Volume IV
  • Eating and Exploring: Folly Beach, Charleston & Sullivan’s Island, SC
  • Let’s Eat: Nashville Restaurants You Must Try




Archives

  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • Work With Us
  • Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2023 · Design by Bd Web Studio

 
Loading Comments...
Comment
    ×