Wines from Brazil

Ok, so here's a starter for 10. Name a single wine region of Brazil…...long silence…….even longer…..     Nope, I couldn't either until I visited there in the mid 1990's! Brazil is home to around 50% of all the vineyards in South America, with almost all located in the far south near its land border with Uruguay,  and a single lonely outpost , the Vale de Sao Francisco, in the mid North East, making decent sparkling and light red wines.

The vines thrive due to the humid climate and very fertile soils, and the expertise of large winemaking concerns such as Moet, Rothschild etc,  which is strange as it was the Portuguese who first brought vines here in the early 1500's, hence there is a LOT of Alvarinho, Bical, Bobal and Touriga planted here. Red wines tend to be Portuguese in style, rustic and meaty, with a growing influence of international vines, Cabernet, Merlot, Pinot etc. White wines are a blend of Portuguese favourites Arinto, Loureiro, Bical etc with some Chardonnay and Chenin growing in importance.