Caminho do Vinho, Curitiba

The Caminho do Vinho (“Wine Path”) is a rural route located right next to the city of Curitiba, in São José dos Pinhais, and it’s genuinely fun, since it’s lined with shops selling wine, colonial-style café spreads, restaurants, pay-to-fish spots, cheese, and handmade products.

The route covers the Colônia Mergulhão and celebrates local Italian culture and traditional food, and without a doubt, it honors the region’s historical and cultural heritage by encouraging the preservation and upkeep of its historic homes.

Every stop sells colonial products, like cheese, eggs, strawberries, salami, spices, tea, sweets, cookies, artisan cachaça, and more.

Italy’s history is, without a doubt, deeply intertwined with the Caminho do Vinho in São José dos Pinhais. After all, entire families who arrived on Brazilian soil turned their daily lives into a hard-won effort to adapt while preserving their traditions.

We’ll share our experience and the places we visited here, and we hope you enjoy the tips. Admission is free at every winery and throughout the town.

Caminho do Vinho

How to Get to Caminho do Vinho

We rented a car and drove through Curitiba to reach São José dos Pinhais, via BR-277, about 30 minutes to reach the town’s entrance archway.

At the archway, you’ll choose between turning left toward Caminho do Vinho or right toward Colônia Murici.

Adega Bortolan

This is the first winery along the Caminho do Vinho, built entirely of stone. The winery was founded by Leopoldo Bortolan, dating back to World War II, and the family is now in its fifth generation.

The space is small, in an old, rustic building, decorated with family history photos. The Adega has parking right in front, and without a doubt, it’ll be the first winery you come across coming from the archway.

Hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 10 AM to 6 PM, closed Mondays.

Caminho do Vinho - Adega Bortolan

Vinhos Vô Vito

Vô Vito, whose real name is Arvito Pissaia (website), learned to make wine from his father and grandfather, and like many other families here, his came from Italy, specifically Treviso. The Pissaia family arrived in Paraná in 1877, and it’s still a family-run business to this day.

Like several other wineries here, the space is filled with family objects and photos, and there’s also a craft shop for souvenirs.

Hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 9 AM to 5 PM, closed Mondays.

Vinhos Vô Vito

Vinhos do Italiano, or Família Bellino

This winery was founded by Mario Bellino, who brought his family’s wine-making tradition from Sicily, Italy. Today, the business is run by his three children, since they oversee all four of the family’s shops.

The grapes come from their own vineyard, on a farm in Caxias do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul. Today, it’s the largest wine producer along the Caminho do Vinho, producing more than 300,000 liters a year.

The shop along the Caminho do Vinho is one of the largest we visited. There are also shops in the Costeira neighborhood and downtown São José dos Pinhais, plus one on Avenida das Torres, in Curitiba, which we passed on the way back.

They have three award-winning wines from the Wines Brazil Awards: the 2020 Merlot, 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon, and 2020 Malbec, all dry red wines. We liked the Merlot best, so we took a bottle home.

Hours: every day, 9 AM to 6 PM.

Vinhos do Italiano

Cantina Della Mamma

Fortunato Pissaia, great-grandfather of Bernadete’s husband, like their neighbors, came from Italy and kept up the tradition of making wine and selling it to people they knew. Today, Dona Bernadete Scrobote and her children continue running the business.

At Cantina Della Mamma, you’ll find bread, cakes, pies, and jams, all made on site.

The property also has both a shop and a restaurant. Cantina Della Mamma, with its rural setting and 100% natural products, sold inside an old barn, will, without a doubt, win you over.

Hours: every day, 9 AM to 6 PM.

Cantina Della Mamma

Vinhos Don Gabriel

Paolo Pissaia (Instagram) was born in Treviso, Italy, and arrived in Brazil in the mid-1880s. His son, Vitório Pissaia, passed down the winemaking techniques, and the family has kept up the tradition for more than 100 years.

The name “Don Gabriel” honors a son of the Pissaia family who passed away at a young age.

Hours: every day, 9 AM to 6 PM.

Vinhos Don Gabriel

Adega Laureanti

Founded by Giacomo Laureanti, who arrived in Brazil in 1950 from the Province of Catania, and eventually established wine production. Along with his children, he opened Cantina Laureanti, meant to sell the wines produced by the family.

Today, his youngest son, Marcelo Laureanti, runs Adega Laureanti. Meanwhile, Nono Giacomo has taken up handicrafts, creating beautiful wooden pieces and framed artwork.

This is one of the smallest wineries we visited, but it’s still worth a stop.

Adega Laureanti

Vinícola e Salumeria Politano

The family’s story begins in 1887, when David Pissaia started producing wine in Colônia Mergulhão just for people he knew, and in 1958 founded Vinícola Politano. His children, Diogo and Rochelle, have carried it forward — Rochelle studied enology in Bento Gonçalves, RS, adding even more expertise to the family’s labels.

Most of the wine grapes come not just from Bituruna, in Paraná, but also from Caxias do Sul, in Rio Grande do Sul. Today, the winery has a capacity of 35,000 liters of wine, with Bordô and Niágara table wines and the Ipê line of finer wines produced on a smaller scale.

The property is also home to Salumeria Politano. Founded in 2019, it was the first family-run cured meats agroindustry to receive official registration in São José dos Pinhais.

Their wine-seasoned pork leg salami comes in traditional versions as well as olive, cheese, and calabresa pepper varieties. Among the sausages, their strong garlic-seasoned option stands out.

Hours: every day, 9 AM to 6 PM.

Salumeria e Vinícola Politano

Vinhos Dom Roberto

Vinhos Dom Roberto (website and Instagram) comes from a family born of Italian and Polish intermarriage, who arrived in the south in 1978. Today, the family surname is Perbiche.

You’ll find a range of products to choose from, including cheese, wine, and salami, plus in-house jams, preserves, and cookies.

The winery sits a bit further along the route, and there’s a shop nearby that serves all the wineries in the area, where we were helped by the owner’s son, a genuinely friendly guy.

Hours: every day, 9 AM to 6 PM.

Vinhos Dom Roberto

Other Outings Along Caminho do Vinho

Beyond the wineries the region is known for, there are also breweries with award-winning beers, great restaurant options, a small petting farm for kids, a cheese shop, and strawberry growers where you can pick out and take home your own strawberries — something for every age.

Nut Bier Cerveja e Cogumelos

Nut Bier Cerveja e Cogumelos (website and Instagram) is Brazil’s first brewery specializing in mushroom-based dishes, offering both lunch and snack options.

Run by Chef Mirian Yamashita, these culinary elements strengthen the connection between the brewery and mushroom production even further. You can also buy fresh mushrooms at the shop.

They have award-winning beers from the 2022 Concurso de Cervejas do Brasil, in Blumenau — Nut Bier’s Psychose Belgian Strong Golden Ale won a Gold Medal.

It’s also the first brewery in Brazil to produce a Witbier-style beer made with shiitake mushrooms.

There are several beer options to take home, and 16 kinds of craft draft beer in various styles, all made in-house. We’d also recommend having lunch here — the restaurant’s atmosphere is really pleasant.

Hours: Saturday and Sunday, noon to 6 PM.

Nut Bier Cerveja e Cogumelos

Cervejaria Vosgerau

Right at the start of town, Cervejaria Vosgerau (Instagram) is also known as Bar da Vosgue. On the menu, along with snacks and dishes, there are more than a dozen beers from this small brewery, which has been around for 10 years.

Among the options are the Pilsen named Colônia Mergulhão and the Colônia Marcelino, a Saison. There’s also an American Amber Ale and the Alberto Coffee Porter, made with cold brew from bourbon barrel-aged coffee by Franck’s Ultra Coffee.

We took some to a party we were headed to, and it was a huge hit.

Hours: Tuesday to Thursday, 5 PM to 11 PM; Friday, 5 PM to 1 AM; Saturday, 4 PM to 1 AM; Sunday, 4 PM to 9 PM.

Cervejaria Vosgerau

Restaurante Frutos da Terra - Caminho do Vinho

Restaurante Frutos da Terra (Instagram) is the most traditional restaurant in the region. It’s run by the Obiava family, who have lived in Colônia Mergulhão for many years. Without a doubt, they’re one of the families responsible for the development and success of the Caminho do Vinho.

An old stable that once housed the family’s cows became the site’s first restaurant.

The rustic setting and delicious food became so popular that Restaurante Frutos da Terra grew and now spans 450 square meters. It’s climate-controlled, with capacity for up to 400 people at once.

The restaurant runs buffet-style, with a wide salad section, hot dishes including Italian pastas, risotto, feijoada, creamy polenta, fried polenta, fried cassava, farofa, and other sides.

There’s also grilled meat cooked over coals, like grilled pork chop and rump steak, ribs, roasted sausage, and traditional free-range chicken, and if you still have room, several dessert options.

The restaurant is great for anyone with kids, since it has paddle boats, a small playground, and a lookout.

Hours: Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays, 11:30 AM to 3 PM.

Restaurante Frutos da Terra

Só Morangos - Caminho do Vinho

Só Morangos (website and Instagram) is a well-known pick-your-own strawberry farm in the region. Harvest season runs October through March, Tuesday to Sunday, and from April to September, you can only take pre-picked strawberries.

Participants get their own exclusive little box from the property, plus the chance to pick strawberries into an Instagrammable basket, with scissors provided for picking.

A minimum harvest of 600 grams is required per adult (age 10 or older), and 300 grams per child (ages 5 to 9) entering the greenhouse.

There’s also a tasting option, where you can go into the greenhouses and eat the fruit freely for 30 minutes.

For anyone who just wants to look or tag along, there’s an admission fee.

Hours: Tuesday to Friday, 1 PM to 5 PM, and Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays, 10 AM to 5 PM.

Só Morangos

Queijaria Sapori Italiani - Caminho do Vinho

At Queijaria Sapori Italiani (Instagram), owner Carla Helena Guerra Carvalho Gualano traveled to Italy, where she got her start in gastronomy. In 2012, she met Italian Antonio Gualano, who would go on to move to Brazil. His family is from Puglia, in southern Italy, where they’ve been producing artisan cheese for nearly 50 years.

The couple then began producing artisan cheese using quality milk (from Jersey cattle). They’re known for their creamy Italian ricotta and caciocavallo cheese, but honestly, we loved everything we tried.

Hours: Thursday to Sunday, 10 AM to 6 PM.

Queijaria Sapori Italiani