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Piccolo Banfi

by Amanda Barnes August 25, 2020

Piccolo Banfi winery is in Colonia, just on the border of San José, and specialises in Tannat, Petit Verdot and Pinot Noir from their estate vineyards in Altos de Cufre.

About Piccolo Banfi winery

The Banfi family arrived from southern Switzerland, near Italy, to Argentina at the beginning of the 20th century and invested in a winery in Mendoza in 2000. In 2004, the Banfi family decided to invest on the other side of the River Plate too, and purchased an estate in Colonia in Uruguay near the border with San José region.

The estate is in Altos de Cufre, an emerging wine region in western Uruguay, which has gently sloping hills and a mild climate which is moderated by the river and maritime influence.

About the Piccolo Banfi vineyards

With eight hectares of vines planted, the vineyard has a combination of Tannat, Petit Verdot, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc and Merlot varieties planted which go towards the winery’s monovarietal wines and blends.

The vineyards were all planted in 2006 and are overseen by the same winemaking and viticulture team as in Mendoza.

About Piccolo Banfi wines

Piccolo Banfi has a handful of wines produced in Uruguay: Estigma is a blend of Tannat, Petit Verdot and Merlot which spends several months ageing in oak barrel, making a fruit-forward and spicy red wine; Estigma Gran Reserva Blend is a more concentrated blend of Tannat and Petit Verdot that spends a year in French oak barrels for a more complex and structured expression. There is also a single varietal Petit Verdot and Pinot Noir within the Estigma Gran Reserva line, and an Estigma Rosé made from Tannat.

The winemaking in both wineries (in Uruguay and Argentina) is overseen by Michel Rolland and Gabriela Celeste as consulting winemakers, and Gustavo Ozamis and Mauricio Rodriguez working as the Head Winemakers on a daily basis. Marcelo Casazza is also a consultant.

Visiting Piccolo Banfi winery

You can organise a visit to the winery for a tasting with previous booking, which includes a walk through the vineyards.

August 25, 2020 0 comment

Familia Deicas

by Amanda Barnes August 23, 2020

written by Amanda Barnes

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.

August 23, 2020 0 comment

Travel Argentina Foodie Argentina Argentina Features Travel & Culture Foodie

Y Wladfa: ‘Little Wales beyond Wales’ & Welsh tea houses in Patagonia

by Clorrie Yeomans August 8, 2020

written by Clorrie Yeomans

Argentina has a strong Welsh community in Patagonia, with several towns and villages populated by Welsh immigrants who brought their language, culture and tea houses with them. Clorrie Yeomans explores the history of the Welsh culture in Patagonia and some of the Welsh tea house recipes.

Patagonia is famous for its whales, penguins and…… Welsh tea houses! 12,000 kilometres away from the Welsh valleys, the other side of the Atlantic, lies Y Wladfa. Over 150 years ago, the first Welsh settlers arrived in the Patagonian desert and built their ‘little Wales beyond Wales’. Today, the Welsh-Argentinean community in the towns around Gaiman, Trelew and Trevelin continue to preserve their heritage, language, religion and cuisine. This unique diaspora continues to grow and remodel what it means to be Welsh and Argentinean as this tapestry of traditions has given birth to a distinctively Patagonian identity and way of life which thrives within the small, isolated villages at the edge of the world.

You may be wondering, so why is there a Welsh community in Patagonia? Like the waves of Italian immigrants moved to the city of Buenos Aires before venturing further inland, a much smaller Welsh community settled in Patagonia. These settlers did not venture to the other side of the world in seek of great fortunes or hidden cities. Rather, the Welsh non-conformists felt that their language and religion was increasingly threatened by the English language and Anglican church. They were told that Patagonia was just as fertile as lowland Wales and full of blossoming fruit trees. The Argentinean government, which was keen to populate this vast desert with European immigrants, offered a promising package of 100 square kilometres of land to Welsh farmers. The first 153 pioneers therefore embarked on an eight-week journey onboard a clipper called Mimosa which set sail from Liverpool in 1865. Each passenger paid a hefty sum of 12 pounds for their one-way ticket, so you can only imagine how disappointed they felt when they arrived to the shores of Puerto Madryn to find a semi-arid, vast desert which seemed like a different world to the luscious green Welsh valleys.

It was here, in Puerto Madryn, that the Welsh founders took refuge in the caves by the sea. The men then walked for days to find the fertile land promised to them- until they reached the Chubut River, where the women and children would later join them. It was here that the Welsh dug their irrigation systems by hand, with the help of the indigenous Tehuelche people who taught them the ways of the land. After years of exhausting work, the Welsh communities received their first wheat harvests.

Welsh culture in Patagonia today

The story of the perseverant Welsh founders continues to be commemorated today- from the village chapels where Patagonians sing hymns in the Welsh language, to the place names, bilingual street signs and the daffodil stickers in people’s car windows. In fact, many children go to bilingual Welsh-Spanish schools and in recent years, cultural programmes have been organised by the Welsh Assembly, the Patagonian government and the British Council as Welsh teachers are sent to Patagonia every year.

Visiting Welsh Patagonia

While there are small museums open all year commemorating the Welsh settlers, if you are keen to experience Welsh culture, the best time of year to visit is October. This is when the famous Eisteddfod poetry and music festival takes place and the streets are filled with school choirs singing in Welsh.

A trip to Welsh Patagonia would also be incomplete without a Welsh afternoon tea in one of the famous casas de te (tea houses) in Gaiman. Here, Welsh cakes and pastries are served, including torta de crema (baked cream pie), white grape jam and butter bread, using recipes which have been passed down from generation to generation. The most famous of which is the torta negra (black cake). This is a Patagonian take on the Welsh fruit loaf bara brith which was first created by the original settlers who needed a delicious yet filling food which would keep for a long time during their voyage.

Today, their descendants keep their stories alive while wearing traditional clothing and speaking to customers in Welsh as they serve tea in knitted tea cosies. And of course, every Patagonian will mention the story of the time that the late Princess of Wales, Lady Diana, herself drank tea with bread and jam in one of the tea houses on a trip to ‘little Wales’.

Why not make your own torta negra fit for a princess with our traditional Patagonian fruit cake recipe:

Torta Negra Recipe

Ingredients:

3 cups white flour
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 cup butter
1 cup chopped seedless raisins
1 cup chopped seedless sultanas
1 cup chopped prunes, apricots or candied fruit
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup rum (substituted for Earl Grey tea in some tea houses)
2-3 eggs, beaten
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1tsp ginger

Day 1

Place chopped fruits and nuts in a bowl and soak them in the rum or tea for one day.

In another bowl, mix the flour, salt, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger. Blend in the butter and mix the butter with the dry ingredients using the tips of your fingers as if you were making a fruit crumble.

Day 2

Incorporate the baking powder into the dry mixture. Add the soaked fruit and nut mixture. Put the baking soda in a cup and add a dash of hot milk before combining with the rest of the mixture. Mix in the beaten eggs until the mixture is quite sticky.

Pour the mixture in either one big or two small baking pans and bake at 135 degrees Celsius for 2 hours, or until the knife comes out clean.

You can decorate your tea loaf with a sprinkle of icing sugar on the top and some glazed fruit and nuts.

Discover Patagonia:

August 8, 2020 0 comment

Guide to criolla and pisco grape varieties in Peru.

Peru Features Beyond Wine Peru Wine Guide

Guide to Criolla and Pisco varieties in Peru

by Clorrie Yeomans July 27, 2020

written by Clorrie Yeomans

Peru has a huge melting pot of Criolla varieties (also known as the Pisco varieties) that have crossed with one another over the last five centuries, many of which remain unknown or unidentified. And those that have got a name are often identified incorrectly in the vineyard. Huevo de gallo (meaning ‘egg of a rooster’), for example, commonly refers to several different Criolla varieties. Without any official nationwide register, Peru’s vineyard plantings are informed by anecdotes rather than bona fide statistics and riddled with misnomers and misidentifications. A status unlikely to change anytime soon. However, there are some key Criolla and Pisco grape varieties to get to know from Peru, many of which are rising in the wine scene too:

Guide to Criolla and Pisco varieties in Peru

While most of these grapes go towards Pisco production, a small proportion are destined for winemaking. Wines made from Criolla or Pisco varieties are usually white and normally a blend of varieties. However, the range of styles is growing. The Criolla wines you’ll find in the top wine bars and restaurants of Lima are more typically wines with some level of skin contact to add some body to these otherwise light-bodied varieties, and usually display quite a floral, ripe fruit character.

Quebranta grape

A native Peruvian variety, Quebranta is one of Peru’s most-planted grape varieties and is estimated to account for almost half of the vineyards planted for wine and Pisco production. Quebranta probably appeared at some point in the 17th century as a result of a natural crossing of Mollar Cano with Negra Criolla (Listán Prieto). There is a huge diversity of Quebranta clones to be found in Peru and the colour of the grapes range from pinkish-green to deep purple. Its characteristics vary slightly too, but Quebranta is renowned for its resistance to drought, salinity and phylloxera (most vines are ungrafted), as well as for being highly productive. Quebranta is generally considered the most complex of the Pisco grapes, with the greatest mouthfeel and body, albeit one of the least aromatic. Quebranta has adapted well to most of Peru’s wine regions and is widely used for wines, mistela and Pisco.

Albilla grape

One of the earliest varieties to arrive in Peru, Albilla was recently genetically identified as Palomino Fino (aka. Listán Blanco). It makes sense, as Cristopher Columbus and his cronies set sail from the capital of Palomino (and Sherry!) — Jerez — in Andalusia all those centuries ago. There’s another misnomer that surrounds this white grape variety, as it is classified as one of the ‘aromatic’ varieties for Pisco production, although it isn’t aromatic at all. Albilla is better known for offering a broader mouthfeel and more body to white wines, rather than for its aroma. It is a very productive variety that is tolerant of the often saline soils of Peru’s wine regions.

Italia grape

Italia is the Peruvian name for Moscatel de Alejandría, an ancient Greek variety that was widely cultivated in Spain and one of the earliest grape varieties to arrive to Peru, being the most widely planted white vinifera variety today. Intensely aromatic, this white grape variety is used for both Pisco and wine production, and adds flamboyant floral and fruit aromas to wines. It is also being used more commonly as a single-variety wine by some of the smaller, natural wine producers and can make convincingly complex and aromatic orange wines. Unofficially, Italia can also refer to Italia Rosada (a pink Muscat) and Italia Negra (a black Muscat) grapes.

Moscatel grape

An undetermined Peruvian mutation of the Muscat family, whose parentage has not yet been clearly identified and is still being investigated (Pink Muscat is a leading suspect, but it is genetically different to Moscatel Rosada in Argentina or Italia Rosada in Peru). Peruvian Moscatel grapes tend to be pinkish-brown in colour and can make aromatic wines or Pisco with floral notes and spice on the palate.

Mollar grape

In a world of oh-so-many synonyms, Mollar is also called Negramoll (in the Canary Islands) and Mollar Cano (in Andalusia). This red grape variety was among the first varieties to be brought from Spain, although relatively few plantations remain in Peru today. Because of its similar appearance, it is often confused in the vineyard with Quebranta, but Mollar is actually a parent of Quebranta. Mollar is commonly eaten as a table grape, due to its soft and succulent grapes, although it is also used for Pisco – but rarely wine.

Negra Criolla grape

Also known as Negro Corriente in Peru, this is Listán Prieto (aka. País in Chile, Criolla Chica in Argentina or Misionera in Bolivia) and was the first grape variety to be planted in Peru. As a particularly productive variety, with high resistance to disease, drought and salinity, it often goes into Pisco production and it is being used for table wines too, usually in blends with other red varieties. It isn’t typically made as a single-variety wine in Peru, but there are a few wines being made in Caravelí and Moquegua.

Torontel grape

Although there are other varieties with the same name, Peruvian Torontel is a native Criolla variety born in Peru (different to Torrontés in Argentina or Torontel in Chile). Torontel is an aromatic white grape variety and is often used in Pisco and white wine production. It can have quite a similar character to Italia, with flamboyant citrus, tropical fruit and floral aromas, but it has slightly more mouthfeel.

Any other Pisco grape varieties to know?

Uvina grape – the black sheep of the Pisco family…

Peru’s Pisco varieties were known as the ‘Peruvian Pisco 7’ until Uvina stepped in. The only non-Vitis vinifera, and non-Criolla, variety permitted in Pisco production since 2006. This deep-coloured tintorera (red-fleshed) variety is a hybrid (Vitis aestivalis crossed with Vitis vinifera) whose real name is Jacquez. It arrived from Europe in the 1930s, is mostly grown in Cañete and used for Pisco.

Find out more about criolla wines & grape varieties in South America:

July 27, 2020 0 comment

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