Brazilian wine
Brazil is a major wine producer in Latin America, behind Argentina and Chile. In 2018 it produced about 3.1 million hectoliters (82 million US gallons), a bit more than New Zealand. In 2019 Brazil ranked 15th in the world for wine production. A large area is used for grape growing—about 82,000 hectares in 2018—but much of that land grows table grapes rather than wine grapes.
Better quality wines come from the European grapevine Vitis vinifera. In 2003 only about 5,000 hectares were planted with V. vinifera; the rest are American vines or hybrids, which are easier to grow in Brazil’s conditions.
Brazil’s climate varies from equator to subtropics. Most wine comes from the temperate south, and about 90% of the country’s wine comes from Rio Grande do Sul, which has four main wine regions between the 28th and 34th parallels south: Serra Gaúcha (the oldest and best known, famous for sparkling wine), Campanha, Serra do Sudeste, and Campos de Cima da Serra. There is also smaller wine production in Santa Catarina.
Wine is made in hotter areas too, such as the São Francisco Valley in Pernambuco, which has a hot semi-arid climate and can yield two grape harvests per year.
Vines were brought to Brazil by the Portuguese in 1532 (São Paulo). Jesuits brought Spanish vines to Rio Grande do Sul in 1626, and 18th-century Azores settlers brought cuttings from Madeira and the Azores. In 1840 Isabella (a Vitis labrusca grape) helped establish early plantations on the south coast of Rio Grande. By the late 1870s, Serra Gaúcha was well established, with Italian immigrants playing a major role and mostly American vines used. Italian varieties and Tannat were added later.
The push for higher quality began in the 1970s, when international wine companies, including Moet & Chandon, invested in Brazil and brought know-how and modern equipment.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 18:24 (CET).