By Lisa Flueckiger, Contributing Reporter
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – October may be a month traditionally dominated by beer, but this weekend, the Rio Wine and Food Festival is offering an alternative to those who prefer grapes over wheat. The celebration of fine dining and great wine is taking place at several locations across Rio de Janeiro from October 7th to October 13th.
The festival is comprised of wine tastings, dinners prepared by great chefs, thematic workshops and promotions at shops and restaurants. A special highlight is the great wine test, a blind sampling of Brazilian wines by some of the country’s renowned wine curators, such as Marcello Copello.
Another special event is the “Wine and Market” workshop offered in partnership with the Fundação Getúlio Vargas (FGV) university on Wednesday, October 9th. Wine producers, as well as importers, will discuss marketing, sales and e-commerce in the Brazilian wine sector.
On October 13th, the ABS, the Brazilian Sommelier Association, will host a competition to find the best sommelier in Rio de Janeiro.
Livraria Cultura and AF Gastronomia will recount the history of wine in Brazil accompanied by a wine tasting coordinated by chefs Alejandra Faúndez and Marius Rebuzzi on October 11th. For a full program of the festival, refer to the event’s website.
Although Brazilians drink two liters of wine per person every year, a tiny amount compared to the French’s 45 liters per year and the 25-liter average of neighboring Argentines and Uruguayans, the wine sector in Brazil is booming with opportunity and registering robust growth in recent years.
From 1990 until today, the amount of imported wine grew by 8,000 percent and Brazilian wine won around 2,000 medals in international competitions between 2002 and 2012.
Read more (in Portuguese).
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