Spanning São Paulo, Minas Gerais, and Rio de Janeiro, the Serra da Mantiqueira is a true Brazilian gem that offers more than just nature tourism and disconnection. This assembly of mountains, valleys, and peaks hides charming little towns rich in cultural heritage, especially notable for their exquisite flavors. Think of coffees, oils, and cheeses as some of the most delightful products of this land. But there’s more: the temperate climate, varying altitudes, fertile soil, and of course, the people, have resulted in award-winning wines that are gaining attention on the international stage.
I delved into the region through a special season of CNN Travel & Gastronomy: Flavors of Brazil at Casa Tés, one of the most special and recent wineries in Mantiqueira. Here, I got a taste of the Southeast at a lunch prepared by none other than Janaina Torres, voted the best chef in the world, where two great passions shared the table: feijoada and wine.
Casa Tés and Vale da Grama: Casa Tés 2022 was the only Brazilian label to make it onto the World’s Best Sommeliers’ Selection 2025 list. When one of the world’s most knowledgeable and influential wine producers turns his attention to a Brazilian viticulture project, we should examine it with great care. I’m referring to Pierre Lurton, responsible for the renowned Château Cheval Blanc and Château d’Yquem, pivotal in Bordeaux wine production.
A lover of Brazil, Pierre was astonished by the quality of production in Mantiqueira and acts as a mentor, or rather, an informal consultant to Casa Tés. The winery was established in 2017 in Vale da Grama, characterized by rugged, rocky terrain and granite cliffs in the quaint town of São Sebastião da Grama. Founded by lawyer Pedro Testa, only Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc, and Sémillon are planted here. It was only last year that the wines began to be marketed and showcased.
“The star of this project is the grape, not me, not the winery, nor the concrete tank. It’s the place, it’s nature,” says Pedro as we sample some wine from the tanks and experiment with blend possibilities. Passionate about Bordeaux’s great wines, especially Cheval Blanc, he doesn’t hide his ambition to produce the finest labels in the country.
Fruit has already started to be reaped: last week, the red Casa Tés 2022, a blend of Cabernet Franc and Merlot, was the only Brazilian entry on the list of the best wines globally, as seen by the most respected sommeliers. It is featured alongside great names from France, Italy, Spain, and Argentina on the World’s Best Sommeliers’ Selection 2025.
Dedication and a pinch of “madness”: The wine is part of the winter harvest production at the winery. The property is situated between 950 and 1,300 meters above sea level, where the thermal amplitude benefits the terroir. “There’s no frost since we have wind. Besides that, we have love, but also a bit of madness,” jokes Pedro about the project’s inception. The quality upheld by the winery involves a significant human element in the process.
“This place had perfect weather in 2024. But we’ve also improved a lot in the field. For instance, we brought women to work alongside their husbands, which greatly enhanced process quality and productivity, as well as attention to detail,” he remarks. The Casa Tés 2022, for instance, is described by the sommeliers’ selection as a “powerful red” exuding red fruits, cherries, aromatic herbs, and fresh foliage. The wine undergoes cold maceration at 7°C for five days and is vinified in concrete tanks at 22°C, then aged in French oak barrels for roughly 12 months.
The result, according to the evaluation, boasts “medium intensity, high acidity, granular tannins, full body, and a mineral finish,” pairing well with meat and peppered vegetables or even spinach and bacon pizza. However, during my visit, another pairing perfectly met the occasion.
A Brazilian lunch: My visit to the winery concluded with a crowning culinary experience in the quest for Southeast Brazilian flavors. To toast this journey, a feijoada prepared by none other than the world’s best chef, Janaina Torres, capped off the experience. She, who has resumed the reigns at Bar da Dona Onça and is also co-owner of Casa do Porco, Hot Pork, Merenda da Cidade, and Sorveteria do Centro, all located in São Paulo’s downtown, found time to celebrate Brazilian cuisine alongside me.
“There are various forms and interpretations of feijoada. It comes from Europe, passes through Africa, and arrives in Brazil, where it becomes a unique dish,” explains the chef. As the aroma rises, the meticulous work comes to fruition. “My feijoada is made more accessible because I don’t buy anything industrialized. All products are very fresh. It’s an alchemy. It’s slow, it’s gradual,” she explains.
The steamy broth is a fitting prelude to what’s to follow. With a ladle, she pours the liquid into a bowl and finishes with a drop of cachaça, a signature “a la Janaina” touch. This is a glimpse of the new project she’s been crafting for some time, “A Brasileira,” which aims to showcase the Brazilian philosophy and art of living to the world. On international trips, Janaina, or Jana as her close friends call her, always insisted on cooking with available ingredients for other chefs and teams. People then clamored for food “by the Brazilian.”
In the end, sitting at the table to savor Janaina’s feijoada with Pedro’s wines, an unusual yet fitting combination, was akin to experiencing a slice of Brazil’s flavor, which I define as a communion around food and cherished moments.
A São Paulo coffee shop is the only Brazilian entry on the list of the world’s 100 best.
