Serra Gaúcha (RS) is known for its beautiful landscapes and also for its famous wineries. But few people know that, in addition to wine, another drink is also produced in the region: sparkling wine. And a small town next to Bento Gonçalves is responsible for producing four million liters of the drink every year. We are talking about the city of Garibaldi, also known as “The Capital of Sparkling Wine”.
History
The city of Garibaldi was founded in 1870 with the name of “Colônia Conde D'Eu”, in honor of Princess Isabel's husband. Four years later, the region began to receive immigrants, most of them from northern Italy. This was, in fact, the first colony of Italians in Rio Grande do Sul.
These immigrants started with some agricultural activities in the state, such as vine plantations. The colony progressed and was emancipated in 1900, being named as Garibaldi (in honor of the farroupilha hero Giuseppe Garibaldi).
The sparkling wine route
The small vines planted by Italian families, over time, became wineries. And some of them grew so much that they became major exporters of wine and, especially, sparkling wines.
The production of this drink began in Garibaldi in 1913. Today, the city has 21 wineries, which attract 320,000 tourists every year. The passion for sparkling wine is such that annually the city hosts Fenachamp, the Festa do Espumante Brasileiro .
Therefore, they decided to create the Sparkling Wine Route , where tourists can visit large wineries or family canteens and taste the delicious drinks produced in them.