The history of Companhia Vinícola Rio-Grandense begins in Porto Alegre in 1929, under the name Sociedade Vinícola Rio-Grandense Ltda. The society's main objective was to defend the interests of winemakers in the quest to consolidate a market for Brazilian wine. His strategy was to use buildings from associated wineries in different cities in Rio Grande do Sul.

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In Bento Gonçalves, the headquarters were in the Cidade Alta neighborhood, where the Epopeia Italiana is currently located. Rio-grandense participated in the improvement and modernization of the techniques used in the production of wine, and through a partnership with the government, it facilitated exports to canteen makers.

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In 1935, they were already exporting more than 10 million liters. It expanded considerably, to the point that, together with the wineries Cooperativa Aurora, Garibaldi and Forqueta, they created their own shipping company, Navinsul. The company used a French tanker, which transported the wine to São Paulo.

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Throughout the 1960s, they already had more than 60 associated canteens and branches in Curitiba, Salvador, Belo Horizonte, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. During this period, they closed a partnership with Martini e Rossi, an Italian alcoholic beverage company. In this way, they managed to dominate 70% in the state market and lead the national market.

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Companhia Vinícola Rio-grandense ended its activities in 1997 due to several factors that had been extending for years. Among them, the increase in competition, the national economic crisis and the low consumption of wines in Brazil.

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Sources:

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CAPRARA, Bernadette Schiavo; LUCHESE, Terciane Angela. From Dona Isabel Colony to the Municipality of Bento Gonçalves 1875 to 1930 - Bento Gonçalves: VISOGRAF; Porto Alegre: CORAG - Companhia Riograndense de Artes Gráficas, 2005.

DAL PIZZOL, Rinaldo. PASTOR, Luis Vicente Elias. Landscapes of Rio Grande do Sul vineyards. Bento Gonçalves: Rinaldo Cistílio Dal Pizzol, 2016.

JALFIN, Anet. ELEMENTS FOR THE STUDY OF THE WINE INDUSTRY: AN APPROACH OF THE AURORA WINE COOPERATIVE. FEE Assays, Porto Alegre, (14) 2689-708,1993.

MARIETA DE M. FERREIRA and VALDINEY C. FERREIRA. 19th century Italian immigration: the great milestone of Rio-Grandense and Brazilian viticulture. XIII National Meeting of Oral History. UFRGS. 2016.

POSENATO, Julius. Architecture of Italian immigration in Rio Grande do Sul. Porto Alegre, EST/EDUCS, 1983.

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