Serra Gaúcha

Serra Gaúcha is a highland region in Rio Grande do Sul colonised predominantly by Italian and German immigrants in the nineteenth century, whose descendants shaped the wine industry, architecture, and cuisine of towns such as Gramado, Canela, and Bento Gonçalves. The Vinhos do Vale dos Vinhedos winery route, Brazil's first wine appellation, winds through slopes planted with Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Moscato. In winter, mist and frost settle over the valley vineyards, providing a rare cold-weather landscape in subtropical Brazil.