Bento Gonçalves

Bento Gonçalves needs 2 days: touring the wineries of Vale dos Vinhedos, Brazil's first wine denomination of origin, on one, and a ride on the Maria Fumaça steam train through the vineyards to Garibaldi on the other. March-May (harvest) and June-August are best. It's mid-priced for Brazil. Founded by Italian immigrants in the late 19th century, it's Brazil's wine capital, with over fifty wineries concentrated in the Vale dos Vinhedos, and its winemaking tradition, the most established in Brazil, produces mostly traditional-method sparkling wines that rival the continent's best.