Top 100 red wines of Bahia

Discovering the wine region of Bahia

Bahia is one of Brazil's 26 states, located in the middle of the vast country's east (Atlantic) coast. Despite its proximity to the Equator, Bahia is home to wine producing Grapevines. These are almost exclusively located in the Vale do São Francisco, one of the world's most extreme wine regions. However Bahia's agricultural economy is focused much more heavily on cacao (of which it is Brazil's main producer) and soybeans.

Bahia's economy was founded on sugar and tobacco production between the 16th and 18th Centuries. The region measures about 1000 kilometers (600 miles) from North to South, and about the same from east to west. It stretches between the latitudes of 8°S and 18°S. The Climate throughout Bahia is tropical.

Annual rainfall averages vary massively from region to region, from 15 inches to 80 inches (380mm to 2000mm) a year. The drier areas are, naturally enough, those further inland, away from the maritime influences of the coast. Roughly two thirds of Bahia is classified as semi arid. The Vale do São Francisco (the state's sole wine region) is located 440km (275 miles) inland and ranks among the world's driest grape growing areas.