Perhaps not a country you would immediately associate with viticulture, Brazil is something of a rising star producing exciting and original wines which are perfect for all manner of festivities.
The world's biggest party kicked off in Rio last Friday and there was plenty of alcohol flowing. It's estimated that over the four days of Carnival around four hundred million litres of beer are consumed throughout the country as well as countless caipirinha cocktails.However party goers in Brazil are increasingly turning to excellent local wines as well and luckily for us some of them are making their way to Scotland. So in a neat follow-up to my last blog post on Argentine and Chilean wines I've decided to stay in South America and write about what I think is one of the most exciting, up and coming wine countries.
I'll admit that wine is probably not the first thing which springs to mind when someone mentions Brazil, thechances are you've never even heard of Brazilian wine, let alone tried any, and yet the country is the fifth largest producer in the Southern Hemisphere and the third most important wine country in South America after Chile and Argentina with a winemaking tradition stretching back to 1532 when Portuguese brought over cuttings from Europe.
So where can you get your hands on the stuff? Well as you've probably already realised the range of Brazilian wines available on the high street is pretty limited at the moment but it shows signs of growing. In the past I've noticed bottles popping up sporadically on the shelves independent wine shops in Glasgow and Edinburgh, particularly sparkling Moscato an emerging Brazilian speciality, but now a more permanent foothold seems to have been gained. Both Marks and Spencer's and Waitrose have recently added some great Brazilian bottles to their permanent in store wine ranges. Of the two I'm inclined to think Marks and Sparks has the edge. I'm a huge fan of their wine collection which is wonderfully eclectic and includes examples from countries you might never have considered before like Turkey, India and even Japan.
I've picked out two wines from M&S and one from Waitrose which I think are great party wines, in keeping with the feel of carnival. The first is the Aracauria Riesling Pinot Grigio which is produced from grapes grown in vineyards in the Campanha region North West of Rio. The blend is 70% Riesling and 30% Pinot Grigio. The result is a wonderfully aromatic wine which retains all the freshness and crisp flavours of green apple and pear which you would associate with a good Italian Pinot Grigio. This is brilliant on its own but even better with Thai or Vietnamese style foods.
My second recommendation is a sparkling brut called Coconova which I shared with a few friends over dinner a couple of weeks ago. I absolutely love sparkling wine (who doesn't?) but oddly it's not something I drink all that often. Perhaps this is because the classic European examples such as Champagne and Prosecco are linked in my mind with special occasions and that's what I want to save them for. They're crafted using time honoured methods by famous producers and the history and tradition which surrounds them gives them prestige, but also a certain formality. Coconova however, is a fizz which is the antithesis of this Old World respectability and, for me, represents everything that's great about Brazilian wine. Its name and colourful label reflect the style of winemaking, its fun, lively and unpretentious. Produced from grapes planted among mango and coconut trees in semi tropical vineyards it's a blend of Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc and Verdejo. It's wonderfully zingy and fresh and simply bursting with all the passion fruit and citrus flavours you would typically associate with New Zealand Sauvignon.
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