For some foreigners considering Brazilian agriculture, something like soybeans or coffee might come to mind, rather than wine. For those more familiar with Brazil, Rio Grande do Sul might be the only place you think of when you think of Brazilian viticulture. But it may come as a surprise to some that despite having several neighboring countries famous for their wine (namely Chile and Argentina, but Uruguay as well), Brazil has a significant number of wine producers in six different states.

Vinhedos, or vineyards, occupy around 78,000 hectares in Brazil, which amounts to over 300 square miles. There are approximately 16,000 wine producers in Brazil, the majority of whom are located in the country’s southernmost state, Rio Grande do Sul. But there are also vineyards in Paraná, Santa Catarina, Minas Gerais, São Paulo, and even Pernambuco in the northeast region.

Though early settlers tried to establish vineyards in Brazil as early as 1551, wine production in earnest began in the 1730s.  In the 1860s, Portuguese immigrants began vineyards in Santa Catarina, and beginning in the 1870s, Italian immigrants began commercializing wine production in Brazil.

Today, there are six main wine regions in Brazil: four in Rio Grande do Sul, which is the center of wine tourism in Brazil, particularly in the Serra Gaúcha, Planalto Catarinense, in Santa Catarina, and Vale do São Francisco in the northeast. Nearly every type of wine is produced in Brazil, from Merlot to Chardonnay.

Despite winning over 1,600 international awards and distinctions in the past 15 years, Brazilian wine still has yet to gain acclaim not only in Brazil, but through international export. In this video below, Brazilian winemakers performed a blind taste test, and eighty percent of those who tried Brazilian wine thought it was imported. Hopefully, with Brazil’s booming economy and increased international trade, Brazilian wine will begin to win over wine enthusiasts the world over.