A businessman from São Paulo, his wife, and their son settle in the arid backlands of the Northeast. A renowned surgeon from Bahia, an Argentine enologist, and his daughter soon join them. Colonel Barreto, the maid Joelma, Pedro Lucas, Freddy, and other local figures weave their way into the story. Surrounding them, stretching in every direction, are endless vineyards—an unexpected sight in the tropical heat of Petrolina, Pernambuco. Rio Sol is a story of contrasts: controversial Paulistas, enchanted Argentinians, and secrets scrutinized on the banks of the São Francisco River. It explores forbidden love and prejudice, deception and failure, wealth and poverty—all woven into the rich and diverse cultural fabric of South America. Yet Rio Sol is, above all, a story about wine. A unique, tropical wine—born from the clay of dry lands and the life−giving waters of the Velho Chico. João Calazans takes us deep into the hermetic world of viticulture, guiding us across thousands of kilometers and through a cast of vivid characters, from Mendoza, Argentina, to Petrolina, Brazil. True to his style, the author places us at the heart of a major sporting event: the Wine Run, which, before the pandemic, brought together 1,500 athletes and wine enthusiasts to race through the vineyards. Rio Sol invites us to look beyond borders, to better understand Brazil and its neighbors. It offers us the chance to savor new flavors, derived from fruits different from those we are accustomed to, in a beverage that always holds more mysteries to be uncovered. But Rio Sol – A Story of Hope is, above all, a tale of adventure and entrepreneurship. A deeply human story about love and passion, about people in pursuit of happiness and fulfillment—much like the journey of wine itself, always reached through a long and winding road. With Rio Sol, Calazans offers us not just a book, but a toast—to the future and to faith. A