Discover 4 small wineries in Uruguay that you will still hear about

I started writing about tourism in Uruguay because I was tired of looking for information about the country and always finding the same things. I combined the useful with the pleasant, or rather, the gastronomy to the wine and I started to commit myself more to discovering little-explored corners of this country that welcomes me so well.

At first, many people wrote to me asking for tourism tips with itineraries that included famous names from the country: Bouza , Garzon , Deicas , Narbonne . Today I hear mention of many more names: Bracco Bosca , El Legado , Big house , Old Winery , Oceanica José Ignacio , Alto de La Ballena . Many that I have already written about right here on CNN Viagem e Gastronomia.

This time I go a little deeper into Uruguay and bring four wineries that perhaps very few people come to visit . Some of them have still developed their tourism structure, others still have no major aspirations. I speak here in the first person because they are much more intimate experiences and for those who like to know the world of wine in detail rather than just experiencing wine tourism.

If the opportunity ever arises, I recommend that you don’t let the names below slip away. Even if it’s just to go buy their wines, which are often not easily found. And I leave a reminder: anyone who wants to risk a visit, it’s always a good idea to get in touch via Instagram well in advance.

Bodega Sierra Oriental

Some wineries have decades of history. From immigrant families, they are passed down from generation to generation by people who made wine their livelihood and who knew the land like no one else. Others started big, million-dollar ventures that grow quickly and see wine and wine tourism as business.

A Eastern Sierra It is not at either end. Although its owner, the Argentine Rodrigo Says Even though he didn’t inherit the winery, which was built with the sweat of his work plowing fields in the financial sector, it undoubtedly carries the history and passion of those passed down from generation to generation.

Located in José Ignacio , 1 hour from the coast via a dirt road, but just a few kilometers from the sea in a straight line, had every detail of its main house planned. With 14 rooms that also serve as accommodation in the countryside, the beautiful property tells the story of its owner in each of the beautiful details. The property has around 12 thousand olive groves and among the vines, varieties such as Tannat, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese, Petit Verdot, Sauvignon Blanc, Sauvignon Gris and Pinot Grigio.

Due to difficult access to the property, the winery does not usually receive tourists, but it is possible to reserve it for events or even for holidays in the “Uruguayan Tuscany ”, as Rodrigo likes to say.

Many bodegas will never pay for themselves, or it will take a few generations for that to happen. The Eastern Sierra was not an economic project, perhaps if it had been easier to access it would certainly be full of tourists. Rodrigo tells, among many stories, that he has always made money working for others, but that is the work he does for himself. “That’s what I’m going to leave to my children.” The best inheritance you can give, a good dose of passion in the things you do.

Bodega Sierra Oriental: Ruta 39, Km 46. Las Cañas, Maldonado – Uruguay / Tel.: (+598) 99 904 894 / More information at site and by social media.

Bodega Nabune

Many wineries began their history producing table wine, sold in five-liter bottles called majuanas. This is still the company’s main business Bodega Nabune which even processes grapes from many other wineries that only own the vineyards, but not the winemaking area.

The family winery located in Cannelloni , close to Bodega Pizzorno is played by Gerardo Nabune and, although the winemaker lives in Montevideo, it is easy to find him there with his brothers, who live inside the winery. It is even on the roof of one of their houses that one of Uruguay’s most interesting dessert wines is refined.

Yes, the winery also produces fine wines, but its Solera , which until recently was the only one produced in the country. Following his grandmother’s tradition, in a very common process in Spain, after fermenting his sauvignon blanc in concrete tanks, Gerardo stores it in majuanas that are semi-open on the roof of his brother’s house. There, in the open air, the wine is exposed to the sun, extreme heat, rain and cold for months on end, oxidizing to the ideal point where it is bottled without any addition of sugar or wine alcohol.

The result is a concentrated, sweet drink, but with a little acidity, with notes of nuts and dried fig. The best company for a cheese pie at the end of the meal.

Gerardo does not have the structure to receive tourists . Anyone lucky enough to be able to visit will find the owner’s friendliness and wines that are difficult to find on the market, but that represent all the affection of the producer for what he does. And to top it off, you’ll also be able to taste the best Grappa miel in Uruguay.

Bodega Nabune: Las Piedras, Department of Canelones, Uruguay / Tel.: (+598) 23 641 868 / More information at site and by social media.

La Bodeguita del Cacho

Will it be the smallest winery in Uruguay? A La Bodeguita del Cacho It even has charm in its name. And as he himself announces, the winery is really small. The Spanish winemaker Olga Pascual traveled 9,983 km to make wines in Uruguay. And for having met a Uruguayan who, not by chance, had a family bodega.

In his city, Campaspero, in the region of Castile and Leon, only tempranillo can reign. Olga’s arrival at her father-in-law’s winery has gradually transformed the production that was previously predominantly table wines.

In Uruguay, there was no chance of making tempranillo at Bodeguita, which until then basically had Tannat, Moscatel and Cabernet Sauvignon. With this raw material, Olga turned to making the entire excellent line. Tanguero Birds its first Tannat, 9983. From the very few hectares of the small property in Canelones, a Spanish-style Solera and Vermouth are still vinified.

La Bodeguita del Cacho: Camino Piccardo, s/n, Canelones, Uruguay / Tel.: +598 94 434 116 / More information at social media.

Bodega Colorado Chico and Proyecto Nakkal

Here two stories mix. Years ago I was invited to visit a small winery in Canelones. The cold and gray late afternoon did not make the Bodega Colorado Chico a tourist tour. We were received by Nico Monforte in a warehouse where he produced wines for other winemakers and private clients, who dreamed of having their own wine, although Nico himself did not yet produce wines under his brand.

Some time later, Nico would join his longtime friend, the winemaker Santiago Degaspari . From this partnership emerged the first 100% low intervention wine project in Uruguay . Colorado Chico wines also began to gain more space within the winery itself. And the production of wines for third parties continues at full steam.

The wine tourism project is still new for the duo, but it is now possible to organize small group visits with them.

The last time I was in Colorado Chico, they were incredibly welcoming. They chose products from small producers for our lunch. For the main course, a tasty lamb cazuela made by Santiago himself who, apparently, in addition to making good wines, is also good in the kitchen. Lunch also included a tasting of Vermouth Rooster, another brand that is also vinified there.

Bodega Colorado Chico: Cno. Gomenzoro s/n El Colorado, Canelones, Uruguay / Tel.: +598 99 911 160 / More information at social media.

About Giuliana Nogueira

Giuliana Nogueira is Brazilian, a psychologist, photographer and communications advisor. She is neither a winemaker nor a sommelierè, but she is an oenophile, especially passionate about Uruguayan wines and Uruguay. She maintains Instagram @Instatannat, talking more about Uruguayan wines than the Uruguayans themselves. Whenever he can, he travels to the land of our neighbors, who know how to welcome people very well.