Paraguay is one of the countries of South America that produces wine. However, Paraguay does not have active wine exports as of 2022 and its wine is little known outside its country of origin.
History
Paraguayan wine history falls into three distinct chronological categories. In the mission period starting in the late 16th century, Spanish-speaking
Jesuit missionaries planted European grapes (''
vitis vinifera
''Vitis vinifera'', the common grape vine, is a species of flowering plant, native to the Mediterranean region, Central Europe, and southwestern Asia, from Morocco and Portugal north to southern Germany and east to northern Iran. There are curr ...
'') as part of the cultural goal of creating a
self-sufficient Christian community. Following
Paraguayan independence in the early 19th century, winegrowing died out as the country turned to other beverages, such as
yerba mate
Yerba mate or yerba-maté (''Ilex paraguariensis''; from Spanish ; pt, erva-mate, or ; gn, ka'a, ) is a plant species of the holly genus '' Ilex'' native to South America. It was named by the French botanist Augustin Saint-Hilaire. The lea ...
and
beer
Beer is one of the oldest and the most widely consumed type of alcoholic drink in the world, and the third most popular drink overall after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches, mainly derived from ce ...
, and its demand for sacred wine was filled by imports. In 1908 Carlos Voigt, a winegrower of German heritage, began growing grapes in the province of
Guiará. This marked the rebirth of the Paraguayan wine industry.
References
{{Wine by country