Paula Maia's Wine blog

November 13th is my grandmother’s birthday. Today she is 84 year old. My granny has always been superstitious. She married a guy who’s birthday fell on the 13th. All her passwords have the 13 number in it. Every 13th of the month she lights a candle, and when she plays lotto, she always bets on the 13. Highly influenced by her, I too make extensive use of the number 13.

Surprisingly, I opened my mail box this afternoon, and there was the results of the WSET Advanced Sommelier exam I took back in September. It was like opening the Oscars envelope. There it was: PASS WITH DISTINCTION. I couldn’t believe it.  A sudden burst of pride and happiness came over me. OMG! Are you kidding? Distinctions? Oh!

It wasn’t until I made a bunch of phone calls, scram on the street and told everyone I know about it, that I realized it happened on a Friday 13th. Surreal. My grandma is right. After all, there is something about the 13th.

Casa Valduga was one of the first Brazilian wineries to make sparkling wines in the method champenoise. The Valduga family arrived in Bento Goncalves in the late 19th Century and soon begun planting the first vineyards in the valley. Today it has the biggest sparkling wine cellar in Latin America, and it is still run by the family.

I wasn’t going to visit Casa Valduga at first. I focus on wineries of small-medium production that eventually will be showcased in my wine bar. Recognizing that it would have been silly to miss out on this opportunity, we ended up spending an entire morning in their gigantic complex. There was a film, a tour, a tasting, the whole shebang, and it was worth it.

It is not by chance that Casa Valduga is a symbol of excellence in Brazil. Nor a coincidence that it is the official winery in the Planalto. Their wines are indeed excellent and their top tier sparkling have fooled even the French. Therefore, all the medals and awards worldwide.           Go Brazil!

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