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A guide to traveling around Maldonado, Uruguay. Bodega Garzón Winery and Vineyards in Maldonado
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Travel guide to Maldonado in Uruguay

by Amanda Barnes
written by Amanda Barnes

Maldonado is emerging as one of Uruguay’s hottest wine destinations. With the wineries of Garzon, Alto de la Ballena, Viña Edén, Cerro del Toro and Bodega Oceánica José Ignacio being just a few worth visiting, this is one of the upcoming star wine regions of South America and a joy to visit. Check out our guide to visiting Maldonado.

 

How to get around Maldonado wine country

Maldonado is a pleasure to drive around, so hiring a car or organising a driver would always be my first recommendation for visiting the wineries and beaches. Otherwise there are a handful of wine tour companies in Punta del Este.

You can easily get to Maldonado from neighbouring Canelones and Montevideo (it’s only a couple of hours drive) or you can fly into Punta del Este directly. Both Montevideo and Punta del Este airports have international flights.

 

Where to eat & drink in Maldonado

Punta del Este and La Barra have a plethora of good restaurants, but one of the hot spots to visit is La Huella (Calle de Los Cisnes) in José Ignacio for seafood and steaks grilled to perfection on a picture-perfect sandy beach. For fine-dining in Punta del Este, try Lo de Tere (Rambla del Puerto), which has a great wine list too. The wineries around Maldonado also offer some exceptional cuisine, especially Balasto Wine Bar (Bodega Garzón), where Francis Mallmann’s team make top tapas and grills, or you can visit his other famed restaurant in the nearby village Garzón.

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Underwater wines of Ultramar project of Bodega Oceanico Jose Ignacio in Maldonado Uruguay, a guide to Uruguayan wine and Albarino
Uruguay Wine GuideWine

Cellaring wine under water… A tasting of Bodega Oceanica’s Ultramar Albariño in Uruguay

by Amanda Barnes
written by Amanda Barnes

Bodega Oceánica José Ignacio have been cellaring their Albariño and Tannat wines in a rather unusual place… 15 meters underwater off the coast of Uruguay! In the innovative Ultramar project, owners Marcelo Conserva and Natalia Welker decided to age their water in an underwater cellar to see how it aged and evolved differently. On a recent visit, I got to taste the results and I can certainly tell you it does make a difference!

The inspiration came from the vineyard and winery’s position just 10 kilometers from the sea… They wanted to find a way to get more involved with their maritime influence and also get the villagers of José Ignacio involved. Now Marcelo and Natalia make a bi-annual dive to their underwater cellar with the help of local fishermen and divers in order to deposit new vintages, and pull up some of the aged vintages.

The Ultramar project also goes further than just the underwater cellar, but Marcelo and Natalia (who are passionate about sustainability and design) in fact collect and use recycled fishing nets and plastic from the sea to make the bags for the wines, and use stones collected on the beach which are engraved by a local artist as the natural wine label.

 

Interview & tasting of Bodega Oceánica José Ignacio Ultramar Albariño wines in Uruguay

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Germán Bruzzone winemaker Garzon winery in Uruguay
Uruguay FeaturesUruguay Wine GuideWine

Granite & Garzón: Interview with Germán Bruzzone

by Amanda Barnes
written by Amanda Barnes

Maldonado wine region in Uruguay is quickly becoming known for making some of the most exciting coastal wines in South America today, and in part its due to its granite soils. In this Terroir Talk interview with Germán Bruzzone, winemaker at Bodega Garzón, we discuss the impact of granite on wines and how the Maldonado wine region has developed over the past 10 years.

Germán Bruzzone delves into the diverse terroir of Garzón and explains why they have split their vineyard into hundreds of parcels and plots, and discusses their winemaking style under the guidance of consultant winemaker Alberto Antonini.

Amanda Barnes interviews Germán about his own experiences in helping build the incredible reputation of Garzón’s wines and they taste through two emblematic varieties for the winery and region: Tannat and Albariño from their exclusive Single Vineyard range.

 

Granite & Maldonado:

Terroir Talk with Germán Bruzzone of Bodega Garzón

 

Taste along with us: Uruguayan Albariño & Tannat

Bodega Garzon single vineyard Tannat wine tasting notes and interviewBodega Garzón Single Vineyard Tannat 2017

This beautiful Tannat displays all the energy and verve you can expect from prime terroir in Maldonado: filled with aromas of fresh cherries and raspberries as well as layers of tobacco, cacao and violet with a bracing finish and a fine, peppery spine of tannin.

This is a Tannat that you can easily drink by itself, but it would also pair wonderfully with white and red meats, or even oily fish.

  • Sustainable, Vegetarian
  • Winemaker: Germán Bruzzone and Alberto Antonini
  • Alcohol (ABV): 14.5 %
  • Acidity: 5.2 g/l
  • Residual sugar: 3.5 g/l
  • pH: 3.71

 

Bodega Garzón Single Vineyard Albariño 2019

Bodega Garzon Albarino Single Vineyard best wines from MaldonadoTangy coastal Albariño has become Bodega Garzón’s calling card and one of the most renowned white wines in Uruguay, and this wine exemplifies what’s so wonderful about Maldonado Albariño.

With delicate notes of white peach, lemon zest and blossom on the nose, this wine’s real personality comes out in the palate: with mouth-watering acidity, a tangy salinity, complex layers of spice and savoury notes, and a long, aromatic finish. It’s exciting stuff!

  • Sustainable, Vegetarian
  • Winemaker: Germán Bruzzone and Alberto Antonini
  • Alcohol (ABV): 13.5 %
  • Acidity: 6.6 g/l
  • Residual sugar: 2.7 g/l
  • pH: 3.25

 

Read more about Garzón winery in our winery guide.
Read more about the Maldonado wine region in our guide to Uruguayan wine.
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Guide to Maldonado wines and the wines of Uruguay
BeyondFeatured PostsUruguay FeaturesUruguay Wine GuideWine

A guide to Uruguay’s Maldonado wine region

by Amanda Barnes
written by Amanda Barnes

The Maldonado wine region of Uruguay is one of the continent’s most exciting — offering a distinctive style of refreshing coastal wines. Get to grips with the unique terroir and delicious wines of Maldonado in our quintessential guide.

 

 

Guide to Maldonado Wine Region
Notable Producers in Maldonado
Quick Guide to Maldonado
Best Wines to try from Maldonado
Map of Maldonado

 

 

Guide to Maldonado wine region & its refreshing coastal wines

Maldonado is a region of great contrasts. On the one hand, there’s the ostentatious seaside resort of Punta del Este, home to some of the most luxurious hotels and wealthiest casinos in Latin America and on the other, there is sweeping farmland with modest homes and tiny villages, which seem to have remained grounded in the last century.

While I’m not a fan of the superficial veneer that makes Punta del Este stand out in sharp juxtaposition to the otherwise authentic and unassuming charm that Uruguay exudes elsewhere, millions of people are. In fact the population of this elite playground known as the ‘St Tropez of Latin America’ swells fivefold every summer.

Punta del Este and Maldonado, a guide to visiting the wine region and the wines of Uruguay

A major silver lining to having ‘St Tropez’ on your doorstep is that the huge tourism industry is a great bedfellow for Uruguay’s wine industry, and Punta del Este is the main market for Uruguay’s wineries. The growing wine route in Maldonado has also developed thanks to this steady stream of affluent tourists cruising in. Fortunately for them, Maldonado is home to some of Uruguay’s most exciting wines today, which have completely revitalised the wines and image of the country as a whole.

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