August 2014 Celebrated Living - page 82

VALEDOSVINHEDOS,
BRAZIL
slow-paced, cobblestonedVia
TrentothroughBrazil’sVale
dosVinhedos isarevelation.
Surroundedbythecurvesofa
swellingcountrysidestrewn
withstunningmanicuredvines
unraveling inalldirections,
thisruralroute isroughly75
milesnorthofPortoAlegre
inthesouthernmoststateof
RioGrandedoSul.OŒering
some36’wineriesandpousa-
das, iteschewsconventional
stereotypesofBraziland
insteadbeckonsacollective
gasp fromoenophileswho
weren’tpreviously intheknow.
Forgetabout’thebronzedand
beautiful loungingonthesun-
toastedsandsofRiodeJaneiro
orCrayola-green jungleshost-
ingswarmsof toucans inthe
Amazon:Blinktwiceandyou’d
swearthis isTuscany.
ThoughItalian–descended
winemakershavebeenpro-
ducingwineshere in theSerra
GaúcharegionofBrazil since
1875, it’sonly inveryrecent
years thatwinemakers like
Almaúnica,Pizzato,Lidio
CarraroandVallontanohave
begungainingacult’follow-
ing for their (very) fabulous
boutiquewines.Historically,
high taxesandbad infrastruc-
turemademanyof thesewines
expensiveanddi¦cult tofind
domestically,but increasing
e-commerceandarising
economy, aswellasarecent
waveofnewwinebars inSão
Paulo,withBraziliansom-
meliers’likeDanielaBravin
(fromSãoPaulo’sBravin
restaurant)championing
domesticwines,havestarted
toshiftsomeof thespotlight
toBrazilianwine. In fact,
ValedosVinhedoswasnamed
oneof2013’s10BestWine
TravelDestinationsby’Wine
Enthusiast’magazine.’Froma
roomatHotel&SpadoVinho
Caudalie,perchedatoparoll-
inghillsideoverlookingvines
inalldirections, it’snothard
toseewhy:Vineyardsalways
make foraprettypicture,but
pepper thosegrapeswith the
occasionalAraucaria tree,
oneofSouth’America’smost
picturesque, andBrazil’smost
surprisingpostcardcomes
into focus.
Unlike thedryerclimates
ofArgentinaandChile,here in
theSerraGaúcha,winemak-
ersproduce lighter, less-
concentratedreds thatpair
wellwith foodand fresher,
morevibrantchardonnays like
theLidioCarraroDádivas.At
thespecialAlmaúnica,
though, you’lloften
findvineyardowner
MagdaBrandelli
pouringherexquisite
ReservaSyrah2011, a
rich, intensered that
doesaspicydance
amongblackpepper,
raspberry, raisinand
tobacconotes.Without
abeachor jungle in
sight, itmightnotbe
theBrazilof tropical
dreams theworldover,
but thegrapesdon’t lie.
This isBrazilbeyond.
KEVINRAUB is aSãoPaulo-
based travel and entertain-
ment journalist. Hisworkhas
appeared in Travel+Leisure ,
CondéNast Traveler, Robb
Report, TheNewYorkTimes’ T
Magazine and LonelyPlanet,
amongother publications.
CLOCKWISEFROMTOP: Thevineyard-strewn countrysideof Brazil’sValedos
Vinhedos; localwines (far right) andoutdoor dining (near right) atMammaGema;
the charmingValleRustico
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