Bodega Garzón winery in Uruguay
Uruguay has become a hotbed of innovation, with winemakers exploring deeper into new wine regions and taking chances on an ever-greater diversity of grape varieties that goes far beyond the country’s flagship Tannat. While Albariño has been Uruguay’s rising star of recent years, winemakers are now delving into other salivating white wines to suit the maritime climate.
Bodega Los Cerros de San Juan on the shores of the River Plate in Colonia used to be a lone advocate for Riesling. Today though, it is joined by Bodega Bouza, making racy Riesling on the syenite-rich slopes of Pan de Azúcar; and by Becasina, not far from the wild waves that whip Cabo Polonio, in the emerging region of Rocha. Chardonnay has also taken on a new lease of life with the precision and focus of super premium labels, such as those of Cerro del Toro and Familia Deicas.
Bodega Bouza
When it comes to red wines, it is now Cabernet Franc which is the variety on every winemaker’s lips. Viña Progreso, Alto de la Ballena, Bohemia by Fiore and Bodega Garzón in particular are garnering critical acclaim for their fresh Cabernet Franc. Pinot Noir has long been the calling card for the Pisano and Marichal families in the undulating hills of Canelones, but the grape has also taken on new extreme coastal terroir just 400 metres from the Atlantic sea in Maldonado with Compañía Uruguaya
