International Wine and Jazz Fest in Florianópolis, Jan 7th-11th

By Chesney Hearst, Senior Contributing Reporter

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – With more than sixty blues and jazz musicians and entertainers performing live and more than one hundred labels of wine from twenty countries available during testing events, the 1st Festival Internacional de Vinhos e Jazz (The 1st International Festival of Wine and Jazz) will take place from January 7th through the 11th at the Hotel Pousada Oceanomare in the Brazilian city of Florianópolis.

“I believe that Florianópolis is the best city in the world,” Philip Agostini, one of the organizers of the 1st International Festival of Wine and Jazz told The Rio Times when speaking of the host city Florianópolis, the capital city of the Southern state of Santa Catarina.

“The south of Brazil (the states of Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul) is wine country,” continued Agostini. “Santa Catarina has a lot of jazz and blues musicians. We believe that it can be the jazz and blues capital of Brazil. To accomplish this, it is only a natural progression to host a Wine and Jazz Festival.”

Travel to Florianópolis from Rio is a mere two-hour trip south by plane. Additionally, bus transportation is available, although travel time will be significantly increased.

The festival will take place during the high season because, according to Agostini: “During this season, Florianópolis receives nearly one million tourists, that adds points to the festival. The goal is to make it an annual event, consolidating it as a tourist attraction and to make the city known for jazz and blues.”

Events will take place in the Florianópolis neighborhood of Rio Vermelho at the Hotel Pousada Oceano Mare. More than sixty blues and jazz musicians and performers, including dance ensembles are expected to perform approximately twenty-eight shows.

Confirmed musicians include Trio da Paz, Alex Sipiagin, Jeff Berlin, David Bennet Cohen, Othello Molineaux, Maucha Adnet, Jorge Diaz Leon and Alegre Correa.

“Trio da Paz is probably the most accomplished jazz and bossa nova group in the world,” Agostini, who also worked as music producer in the United States for forty years, said of the festival’s lineup, adding, “Alex Sipiagin is the top Russian trumpeter. He is also ranked with the best in the world.”

Six hours of entertainment is scheduled for each day of the festival and in addition to the well known artists, twenty local artists will perform. Selected by Rodrigo Paiva of the Grupo Patibiribia, a non-profit association that supports dance and music programs in Santa Catarina, the local artists will include dance companies and musicians, Luís Gustavo Zago and the Itajaí percussion group, among others.

The wine tasting portion of the festival will take place in a restaurant located within the Hotel Pousada Oceanomare. More than one hundred labels of wine, orginating from twenty countries including Chile, Argentina, Italy, Germany, Spain, France, Portugal, United States and Brazil will be available. The wines feautured during the approximately thirty hours of wine testing also can purchased. See here for a complete list by country of the featured wines.

Additionally during the festival, the Restaurante Mediterrâneo, also part of the Hotel Pousada Oceanomare, will function as a pizzeria and the food court area will offer a special churrasco (Brazilian barbecue) for R$35 per person.

Tickets for the festival can be purchased on site and through the websites, Blue Ticket and Ingresso Rápido. See here to learn more about the festival, ticket information and programming.

What: 1st Festival Internacional de Vinhos e Jazz (The 1st International Festival of Wine and Jazz)
When: January 7th-11th, from 6PM to Midnight each day.
Where:Pousada Oceanomare, Rodovia João Gualberto Soares 5158, Rio Vermelho, Florianópolis
Entrance: R$50-R$130. Packages for the five days of the festival with dinner included can be purchased for R$330 (lodging packages are also available) and the wine tasting is R$30 for fifteen tastings and R$20 for ten tastings.