Pisano winery makes some of the top premium wines in Uruguay, with three brothers following their family heritage of over a century making wines in Progreso in Canelones. The Pisano family shares an Italian and Basque heritage, although their grape varieties extend to Torrontés, Viognier, Pinot Noir, Petit Verdot, and Tannat, of course. The innovative portfolio includes a range of still, sweet and sparkling wines.
About Pisano Family Vineyards
First and foremost, Pisano is a family winery. “Pisano is a way of life,” says Daniel Pisano. “It’s not a business but a way of living, and we aren’t a company – we are a family. Our name goes onto every bottle of wine, and we live in the vineyard. We are children, parents, grandparents and great-grandparents in a small Uruguayan winery.”
Three brothers now spearhead operations:
The family wine history in Uruguay begins in 1870 when Francesco Pisano arrived from La Liguria in Italy to Uruguay, and his son Don Césare Secundino Pisano moved to Progreso and planted vineyards there in 1914. It took ten years to make their first wine, in 1924, which was the first Pisano family vintage in Uruguay.
Today the family winery is in the hands of the fourth generation, brothers Daniel, Gustavo and Eduardo. F. “As well as having one of the best terroirs in the region, we are a family of wine lovers and this is our life and passion!” explains Daniel Pisano. “Our philosophy is to have a family-sized production, and for our wines to reflect ourselves as people as well as our land and climate. Pisano Family Vineyards are unique because of the people behind each bottle.”
About the vineyards
Based in Progreso, in the heart of Canelones, the family has two vineyards which make up a total of 30 hectares. Viticulture uses a mixture of biodynamic, organic and IPM (Integrated Pest Management) techniques to best suit the particular plot and vintage.
About Pisano wines
Very much like the Pisano family, the portfolio of wines are full of personality with a diverse range of varieties and styles. From the jovial wines of Río de los Pájaros to the complex icon wines, there’s a wine style for most wine enthusiasts within their extensive portfolio.
GRAN RESERVA
The Gran Reserva wines of Pisano are top-of-range wines which are only made in the very best vintages and reflect the creme de la creme in that year. These wines include Axis Mundi Tannat and Pisano-Arretxea which are both aged for a minimum of 18 months in new French oak and 12 months in bottle before release. They aren’t pre-planned wines, but reflect Gustavo’s selection and intuition for the very best that vintage can produce.
ETXE ONEKO AND FÁBULA
The winery will also produce sweet wines on certain vintages, when the conditions are right. Extremely limited in production, Etxe Oneko is a late harvest Licor de Tannat and Fábula is a noble rot (botrytised) Torrontés and Viognier.
RPF – RESERVA PERSONA DE LA FAMILIA
RPF (Reserva Personal de la Familia) is a special line of premium wines which are limited in production and were originally made only for the family to drink. Today they make a little bit more so that others can enjoy these wines too… although the production is still boutique in size. The range includes Chardonnay, Tannat, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Syrah and Petit Verdot.
RÍO DE LOS PÁJAROS
Río de los Pájaros is the flagship range of Pisano, which reflect the grape variety, Progreso terroir and aromatic fruit and freshness combined with structure and depth so typical in Uruguayan wines. The range includes single varietal wines of Tannat, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir and Torrontés, as well as a Cabernet Franc rosé and blends from Tannat-Syrah-Viognier and Tannat-Merlot. These are wines which are approachable in their youth, but can stand up to very serious meals on the table and age well too.
CISPLATINO
Cisplatino is the everyday range of Pisano which they produce with a focus of making these wines accessible to wine lovers of all budgets around the globe. Freshness and fruit expression are at the forefront of these wines, and the series inlcudes a Cabernet Franc rosé, Tannat, Torrontés and Tannat-Merlot blend.
About the winemaker, Gustavo Pisano
The winemaker of the family, Gustavo studied winemaking in Uruguay and has taken technical trips and done vintages in Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne and Alsace in France; the Piedmont, Venice and Tuscany in Italy; Penedés, Rioja and Jerez in Spain; Napa, Sonoma and Santa Barbara in the USA; Rio Negro, Mendoza and San Juan in Argentina; Maipo, Colchagua, Curico in Chile; and Serra Gaúcha in Brazil.
His innovative and creative spirit has led him to throw out the rule book with some of Pisano’s wines, including creating a sparkling red Tannat wine. Although Gustavo is keen to embrace and experiment with new techniques, he is a firm believer in keeping things simple in the winery: “We keep our winemaking equipment intentionally simple and we don’t have any big machines because we believe that winemaking should be as artisanal as possible,” says Gustavo Pisano. “It is a combination of tradition, intuition and common sense with modern winemaking technology in good measure.”
Visiting Pisano Family Vineyards
There isn’t any tourism per se at Pisano, but you can pop into the shop (open Monday through Friday) and one of the family is usually there on hand and will gladly show you around and help you to their wines.
Uruguay Wine – The Legends Series: Daniel Pisano from Uruguay Wine
