The Brazilian

A quick entry regarding an experience from a couple weeks ago...

Me and some buddies headed down to Rio for a few days. We found ourselves dining at "00", an industrial-chic restaurant which morphed into a club 'round midnite.

Seeking refuge from cairpirina rain, I offered to order up some bubbly for us. Vino in Brazil is generally expensive--import duties, I presume. But I spied a "Mumm" sparkling for a reasonable price (if I remember correctly, something like 50 Real--about $30 US).

I couldn't really understand the bottle as it was, for the most part, in Portuguese, but the bubbly was decent, especially for the price. It was fruity, and although it was a "Brut", it was definitely sweeter than the French equivalent.

The next day I realized that the Mumm we had was actually produced in Brazil. A very pleasant surprise: when one thinks of South American wines, Chile and Argentina spring to mind. But given Brazil's vast range of topographies, soils and micro-climates, not to mention its world-renowned agricultural prowess, it is safe to say that this is one to watch. Hey, the more countries making reasonably-priced, quaffable bubbly (and claret, and chardonnay...), the better!