Wineries in Canelones & Montevideo in Uruguay. A guide to wine producers in Uruguay’s wine regions.
Familia Deicas winery is one of the most prestigious and trailblazing producers in Uruguay today, combining both a long history and a groundbreaking approach to modern Uruguayan wine. The Deicas family took over the historic 18th century estate and winery of Establecimiento Juanicó in 1979, a brand which continues to be a market leader in Uruguay today, and in 2000 launched their own luxury brand, Familia Deicas, with a focus on premium wines with low intervention winemaking and at the forefront of terroir explorations around Uruguay.
About Familia Deicas winery
Familia Deicas winery was born in 2000 as a project by the Deicas family, who own Uruguay’s well-known Establecimiento Juanicó winery, to make quality terroir-driven wines with a minimal intervention philosophy.
Under the eye of third-generation vigneron Santiago Deicas as winemaker, the portfolio is increasingly lo-fi in its approach preferring the use of clay amphorae and neutral oak barrels, with a preference for co-fermentation of different grape varieties.
About Familia Deicas vineyards
Bodega Familia Deicas has 60 hectares of vineyards spread around some of the most diverse sites in Uruguayan viticulture. With a major focus on terroir exploration, Familia Deicas no doubt has the most far-reaching diversity of vineyard sites in Uruguay, and some of the most exciting vineyard sites too. The vineyard management is focused on sustainable viticulture with some organic practices.
Juanicó, Canelones
Located in the classic southern region of Canelones, the Juanicó vineyard was the first owned by the family and is planted on calcareous-clay soils which have a good water-storing capacity which perform particularly well in the drier years. The silty-textured sedimentary rock is from the quaternary era. The main varieties planted in the Juanicó vineyard are Tannat, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Marselan, Gamaret, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Albariño. It is the same estate where the Familia Deicas winery is.
Progreso, Canelones
In the Progreso wine region of Canelones, the soils here have a high concentration of calcium carbonate and clay, with a heavy texture known as vertisols which swell and crack during the hydration and drying process. The cracks in these soils create deep oxygen ingress, which gives life to the entire soil profile. The main varieties planted here are Tannat, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Marselan, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Gris.
Within the same region, the family has a special vineyard called ‘Suelo Invertido’, meaning ‘Inverted Soil’, where the soil was turned over so that the fertile top soil was at the bottom of the soil profile and the calcareous subsoil is now the top soil. It’s an interesting and innovative vineyard site, which is now producing some very interesting Tannat.
Sierra de Mahoma, San José
This vineyard is called the “sea of stones” because it looks like a sea bed with loam soils which are covered in gravel and almost vertical schist. The low fertility and limited water-storing capacity means that these vineyards produce a very low yield of very concentrated grapes. The main varieties planted here are Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Tannat and Merlot.
El Carmen, Durazno
Coming from the Durazno wine region in the centre of Uruguay, the soils here are typically clay loam with varying proportions of sand and calcareous material. Deicas has Cabernet Sauvignon, Marselan and Tannat mainly planted here.
Garzón, Maldonado
The vineyard is planted in the Valle de los Manantiales where the soils are typically of granitic rock and very deep, with low fertility and very well-draining meaning that grapes are typically healthy and concentrated in character. The main varieties are Merlot, Tannat, Marselan, Petit Verdot, Albariño and Sauvignon Blanc, all of which benefit from the cooler coastal breeze.
Within the Garzón vineyard, Deicas used an experimental plot to remove the first metre of topsoil and reveal the calcareous subsoil on which they planted vineyards of Tannat, Merlot, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.
Tahona, Canelones
Near the city of Montevideo, this vineyard has a clay loam texture of soils with a good balance of nutrients and a good ability to retain water, allowing for balanced and ripe grapes. The main varieties are Tannat, Merlot and Pinot Noir.
Cerro Eguzquiza, Maldonado
In the coastal region of Maldonado, this vineyard has deep soils with moderate drainage and medium fertility, mainly of silt and clay. The main varieties are Tannat, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.
Cerro del Guazuvirá, Lavalleja region
One of the only vineyards in Lavalleja, this is an extremely stony vineyard with poor soils of granite originating from a large geological fault called “Sarandí del Yí shear”. This vineyard requires attentive viticulture management for this more extreme terroir, and the main varieties are Tannat, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Viognier and Marselan.
About Familia Deicas wines
With one of the most extensive portfolios in Uruguay, Familia Deicas has an incredibly diverse selection of wines which includes white, red, rosé, sparkling and orange wines! The portfolio is split into several lines:
ATLÁNTICO SUR
Atlántico Sur is the entry line which focuses on the coastal influence in the vineyards making fresh wines with good varietal expression from their more coastal vineyards (all within 30 km of the coast). The goal of this line is to transmit the freshness and energy of Uruguay’s coastal climate.
SINGLE VINEYARD
Single Vineyard is a range of several wines which focuses on the optimum expression of each vineyard site. This line is the result of 15 years of exploration around Uruguay’s wine regions and the wines reflect each place, using different grape varieties which are often co-fermented and with a minimal intervention winemaking philosophy.
EXTREME VINEYARDS
Extreme Vineyards is a limited edition single vineyard range looking into Familia Deicas’ most extreme terroirs: Suelo Invertido in Progreso, Cerro del Guazuvirá in Lavalleja and Subsuelo in Garzón. This range breaks with the conventional vineyard sites and methods of Uruguay and delivers characterful and unique red wines.
CASTELAS
Familia Deicas also has a selection of licorosos or sweet wines, and the winery was the first to pioneer a Licor de Tannat some 15 years ago which has become an emblematic wine of the portfolio. Sparkling wines also make up an integral part of the portfolio, under the Castelar brand, made in the traditional method with a second fermentation in the bottle.
OCEAN BLEND ROSÉ
Another interesting wine in the collection is the Ocean Blend Rosé, which is a refreshing coastal blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Pinot Noir and Tannat.
CRU D’EXCEPTION AND MASSIMO DEICAS
The icon wines of Familia Deicas are Cru D’Exception and Massimo Deicas, which are boutique productions of no more than 1,000 bottles. Cru D ́Exception consists of a Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot from Uruguay, a Malbec from Argentina and a Saint Émillion blend from France. Massimo Deicas is the best Tannat from the vintage, and only made in the best vintages. Preludio is another super premium wine of the winery, and focuses on showing the true ageing potential of Uruguayan wine – as a blend that is only released after two years in oak and three years in bottle.
About the winemaker Santiago Deicas
Born between the vineyards, Santiago Deicas is the third generation of the family and one of the most promising winemakers of his generation. He has worked closely with consulting winemakers Michel Rolland, Paul Hobbs and Gerardo Michelini, who helped him to develop his own personal style and flair in the winery. Taking charge of the winemaking at Familia Deicas, Santiago is constantly exploring new techniques and vineyards while also respecting the heritage and tradition of the family winery. He spearheaded Familia Deicas’ most innovative projects including the Extreme Vineyards range.
Santiago Deicas explains his philosophy:
We have learned that genuine wines need a natural interpretation of the terroir. We cannot give a sense of place if we look for perfection, because we can be tempted to use makeup. With every new vineyard, we experiment with several microvinifications, and the conclusion is always the same: the best wines are those were the place dominates the winemaker. It seems that this approach is easy, but it actually demands much more knowledge and work!”
Visiting Familia Deicas winery
You can visit Familia Deicas winery and restaurant for a wine tasting and tour, and book in to stay for lunch or nibbles.
There are three wine tasting options: the Atlantic tasting which includes wines from the Atlantico Sur range and Single Vineyard range; the Historic tasting which includes some older vintages; and the Familia Deicas tasting which includes all the top icon wines of the winery. Each tasting includes a cellar tour and a plate of homemade nibbles and charcuterie.
The restaurant is open for lunch with previous booking and has a special seasonal menu which can be paired with Familia Deicas wines.
