Hugo Cantergiani Regional Airport (CXJ) serves Caxias do Sul, an industrial and wine-trade hub in the hilly Serra Gaucha region of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, and a rental car is by far the most practical way to explore a region defined by vineyards, Italian-immigrant heritage towns and mountain scenery. The airport is a compact regional facility just outside the city, with car rental counters operated by international and local companies rather than a single dominant name, and pickup is generally straightforward given the airport's modest size.
From CXJ, the wine town of Bento Goncalves, heart of the Vale dos Vinhedos wine route, sits roughly forty-five minutes to an hour away along winding connecting roads through rolling vineyard hills. The postcard mountain towns of Gramado and Canela, popular for their alpine-styled architecture and cooler climate, lie a little farther, around ninety minutes to two hours depending on route and traffic through the Serra's switchbacks. Caxias do Sul itself, with its strong Italian heritage and wine-industry infrastructure, is only a short drive from the airport.
Driving is on the right throughout Brazil, and the Serra Gaucha's terrain means genuinely mountainous roads: tight curves, steep grades and fog are common in the cooler months, especially at higher elevations around Gramado and Canela, so headlights and cautious speeds matter more here than on the flatter coastal highways. Roads connecting the main towns are generally paved and well used, though some vineyard-route side roads are narrower and slower going. Fuel stations are frequent near the cities but thin out on rural stretches, so top up before heading deep into the wine routes. Given the altitude and hill-country character of the region, a car you are comfortable driving on winding grades will make the Serra Gaucha's best routes considerably more relaxing to explore at an easy, unhurried pace throughout the visit.