Uncorking Brazilian Wine and Its Place in the Global Wine World
Brazil (is not) for Beginners
In this episode of Brazil (is not) for Beginners, host Isaac Matzner sits down with Alykhan Kareem, co-founder and former CEO of Sonoma Market, Latin America's leading premium wine marketplace, for a deep dive into Brazilian wine and the Brazilian Wine industry.
While Argentina and Chile dominate South American wine discussions, Alykhan reveals how Brazil—with 150 years of winemaking history rooted in its history of Italian immigration—is quietly producing world-class wines. Isaac and Alykhan enjoy six carefully selected bottles, while they talk about Brazil’s unique wine story—from sparkling wines that compete with champagne to Italian grape varietals that went extinct in their homeland but flourish in southern Brazil. He explains how the country’s distinct wine regions are producing everything from delicate Pinot Noirs to bold Merlots that hold their own against global competition.
Beyond the tasting, Alykhan unpacks the economic realities shaping Brazilian wine, and shares colorful stories from the trenches like discovering exceptional producers hidden in the forests of Serra Gaúcha.
Beyond the tasting, Alykhan unpacks the economic realities shaping Brazilian wine, and shares colorful stories from the trenches like discovering exceptional producers hidden in the forests of Serra Gaúcha.
Other key topics include:
How 19th-century Italian immigration planted the seeds of Brazil’s wine industry
Brazil’s emergence as a sparkling wine powerhouse
The natural wine movement and Eduardo Zenker’s controversial story
How Brazilian terroirs differ from neighboring Chile and Argentina
The impact of taxation, import costs, and the “custo Brasil” on wine production
The elegance and challenges of doing business in Brazil’s wine industry
And lots more…