3 Incredible Sparkling Wine Regions in South America!

The cellar at Cave Geisse in Serra Gaucha, Brazil!

Sparkling wine rocks! We pop open at least a couple bottles a month. There’s nothing quite like the dance of bubbles on the tongue to pep you up!

Latin America has many regions that produce bubbly well, from Mexico to Patagonia. Three, however, have distinguished themselves when it comes to vino espumoso.

MENDOZA - ARGENTINA

Mendoza, shows up on any list of “best of South America.” Obviously, Malbec is king there. However, the sparkling wine that comes from there, be it excellent value sparklers, to super high end, they do it all well. You may recall that we picked a blanc de blanc from Argentina as part of our top 5 wines of the year!

The key to why all of these regions excel at sparkling wines is they allow grapes to retain acidity. In the case of Mendoza, this happens because of the high altitude and alluvial soil composition.

SERRA GAUCHA - BRAZIL

This little region, nestled between Argentina and Uruguay in southern Brazil, will become world famous. It’s just a matter of time. The sparkling wine from here compares so well to true Champagne, it’s astounding. Julio visited about 2 years ago, and was blown away by just how similar the terroir and techniques used were to Champagne. We featured one of the wines he found down there in Wine Club!

Crucially, Serra Gaucha shares three important features with Champagne. First, soil type. Millions of years ago, it lay under a warm sea. The fossils and deposits from back then give the soil it’s composition today. Second, average temperature and orientation to the sun. Third, winemakers follow the traditions of Champagne. This means things like long lees ageing, careful adherence to traditional method secondary fermentation, and growing the same grapes that thrive in Champagne. 

CASABLANCA VALLEY - CHILE

We love this region. It perfectly encapsulates Grand Cata’s mission to introduce you to wine regions in Latin America that fly under the radar and produce incredible wine. 

Like the two regions described above, this one produces grapes with excellent acidity. In this case, this happens because of the cooling influence of the Pacific ocean. Known mostly for Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir, Chardonnay also does well here, if the point is to make either sparkling wine, or a more Chablis-like style that’s fresh and lean. 

If you ever find yourself craving sparkling wine, keep these three regions in mind!