{"id":4569,"date":"2024-03-03T19:14:13","date_gmt":"2024-03-03T19:14:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rosemurraybrown.com\/?p=4569"},"modified":"2024-03-04T09:39:05","modified_gmt":"2024-03-04T09:39:05","slug":"visiting-uruguay","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rosemurraybrown.com\/visiting-uruguay\/","title":{"rendered":"VISITING URUGUAY"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Rose Murray Brown MW\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Published in The Scotsman 2 March 2024<\/strong><\/p>\n

I am standing in a vineyard planted with Arneis, Nebbiolo, Dolcetto and Barbera.\u00a0 They might all be Italian grapes, but I am a very long way from their homeland in Piedmont.<\/p>\n

I am at Bodega Pablo Fallabrino<\/strong><\/a>, a small family estate in the cool coastal Atlantida region of Uruguay, one hour east of Montevideo just 4km from the Plata estuary.\u00a0 Fallabrino is a laid-back self-taught maverick who calls himself a \u2018free winemaker\u2019 and an avid surfer in the nearby ocean.\u00a0 He makes dynamic range of wines with funky labels, all with a nod to Italy, and was recently voted Uruguay\u2019s Winemaker of the Year by Tim Atkin MW.<\/p>\n

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\u201cItaly is in my blood\u201d, says Fallabrino.\u00a0 \u201cMy grandfather immigrated to Uruguay from Alessandria in Piedmont in 1920 and began making wine in the 1930s\u201d.\u00a0 Pablo\u2019s own passion for Italy means that today almost all his 12 hectares are Italian grapes, alongside Uruguay\u2019s flagship red Tannat and international whites Chardonnay and Gewurztraminer.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would love to be fully organic here; I did try, but lost a lot of crop as the high humidity and rainfall is challenging\u201d, he says.\u00a0 \u201cArneis is the most resistant to mildew, but Barbera is very prone to botrytis – and Nebbiolo is sensitive to sunburn\u201d.<\/p>\n

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Fallabrino (his winery pictured above) has also experimented with Cortese (used to make Gavi in Italy) and Freisa, but he says his hand irrigation did not work.\u00a0 His next plan is to try the rare white Piedmontese grape, Timorasso.\u00a0 He makes fresh vibrant wine styles he likes to drink himself, turning his hand to anything from natural orange wine (El Elephante Pisador), crisp whites, luscious reds to Tannat dessert wine mixing ancient Italian methods.<\/p>\n

Fallabrino is one of the new generation of Uruguay winemakers proving the potential of this tiny country.\u00a0 Uruguay has under 6,000 hectares, so not much larger than St Emilion in Bordeaux.<\/p>\n

After the intense summer heatwaves in Chile and Argentina, arriving in Uruguay is a relief.\u00a0 Even in high summer, temperatures nudge 28 degrees C with cool easterly breezes (compared to 38+ degrees C in Mendoza and Maipo).\u00a0 The landscape in the low coastal hills of Uruguay is lush and green with sea mists swirling in from the Atlantic; vines are often trained higher to ensure aeration around the canopies.<\/p>\n

I headed further east along the Atlantic coast into Maldonado region with its cool dry climate, a dynamic region which is now Uruguay\u2019s new wine frontier.\u00a0 Twenty years ago Maldonado had just 20 hectares, now there are 400+ hectares with two dozen producers as winemakers from Uruguay\u2019s original heartland Canelones near Montevideo are now searching for cooler less humid spots.<\/p>\n

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I tasted at Japanese\/Norwegian-owned Bodega<\/strong> Cerro del Toro<\/strong><\/a> at Piriapolis with its spectacular tasting room (see above) looking across to Pan de Azucar (sugarloaf mountain) \u2013 a magic spot for watching circling hawks and parrots \u2013 where they grow intensely etched Chardonnay and rich succulent Tannat.<\/p>\n

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Another fascinating visit there was at Bodega Bouza<\/strong><\/a> winery\u2019s spectacular new restaurant Restaurante Las Espinas (above) on a dramatic hilltop just 3km from the Atlantic, where they grow Merlot and Tannat.<\/p>\n

The real gem of Maldonado region is the pioneering winery Bodega Garzon<\/strong><\/a>.\u00a0 Argentine billionaire Alejandro Bulgheroni had a holiday home in remote wild countryside 100km north east of ritzy seaside resort Punta del Este, where he produced olive oil and bred cattle.\u00a0 In early 2000s he was inspired to grow vines, transforming this remote haven which had no roads or electricity and plenty of ostriches, deer, lizards and snakes \u2013 into a vast vineyard area.<\/p>\n

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From Garzon\u2019s stylish modern winery you have a panoramic view of their 247 hectare vineyard, subdivided into 1000 plots with plenty of biodiversity with native forest and palm trees in between, to the ocean beyond 20km away.\u00a0 This is arguably the most impressive winery in South America, which has now put Maldonado \u2013 and Uruguay – on the map and set the trend for a flood of investment into this region.<\/p>\n

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Bulgheroni employed Tuscan consultant Alberto Antonini to set up the venture.\u00a0 Antonini assessed the oceanic climate, high rainfall (1200mm), low altitude 70-180m and granitic soils \u2013 finding a similarity with North West Spain\u2019s Galicia region, so recommended that Albarino could work well.\u00a0 It has been successful, but the style of Albarino is lusher and less tensely mineral than in Galicia\u2019s Rias Baixas.<\/p>\n

The red grapes which work best here in eastern Uruguay are Pinot Noir and Tannat.\u00a0\u00a0 Antonini\u2019s style is to ensure grapes are not too overripe, not over macerated, kept fresh and with little oak influence, using large neutral barrels.\u00a0 Like many Uruguayan wines you should expect a gentler fresher more delicate style in comparison to the power and extract of other South American wines.<\/p>\n

WHITES<\/u><\/p>\n

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ARNEIS-CHARDONNAY 2022 Pablo Fallabrino\u00a0 ***BEST VALUE***<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a313.99 www.winesofuruguay.co.uk<\/a> <\/em><\/p>\n

Floral white blossom note, nutty, waxy fruits, fresh and vibrant<\/p>\n

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SINGLE VINEYARD ALBARINO 2023 Garzon <\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a328-\u00a330 Luvians; Fine Wine Portobello; Hic!; Crushed & Cured; Liberty Wines<\/em><\/p>\n

Succulent citric fruit, fleshy mouthfilling peachy ripeness, leesy texture \u2013 a big step up from their standard Albarino<\/p>\n

SINGULAR CHARDONNAY FOSILES 2022 Cerro del Toro<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a333 www.winesofuruguay.co.uk<\/a> <\/em><\/p>\n

Tense high acidity with a saline edge, light spice notes, subtle French oak<\/p>\n

REDS<\/u><\/p>\n

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NOTOS NEBBIOLO 2021 Pablo Fallabrino<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a313.99-\u00a316.99 Novel Wines; Lockett Bros; Great Grog; www.winesofuruguay.co.uk<\/a> <\/em><\/p>\n

Fun juicy fruit blend of 90% Nebbiolo with 10% Tannat; delicate rose and tar notes, cherry fruits, firm dry tannins.<\/p>\n

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SINGLE VINEYARD PINOT NOIR 2020 Garzon ***STAR BUY***<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a323.99 Fine Wine Portobello; Liberty Wines<\/em><\/p>\n

Dazzling success; aged 15 months in large old French oak, beautifully balanced with rich red fruits and soft rounded tannins.<\/p>\n

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TANNAT PARCELA UNICA \u2018B26\u2019 2020 Bouza<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a345 Jeroboams<\/em><\/p>\n

Fabulous intensity, integrated tannins, silky mouthfeel; a great vintage in Uruguay.<\/p>\n

DESSERT WINE<\/u><\/p>\n

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ALYCONE TANNAT NV Pablo Fallabrino\u00a0 ***STAR BUY***<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a321.99 hf bt www.winesofuruguay.co.uk<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Weird and wonderful blend of Barolo Chinato aromatised style and Marsala type fortification; rich sweetness, dark chocolate, honey, herbs and mint.<\/p>\n

Join Rose\u2019s next Escorted Wine Tour – to Hungary in September 2024 www.rosemurraybrown.com<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4570,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_price":"","_stock":"","_tribe_ticket_header":"","_tribe_default_ticket_provider":"","_tribe_ticket_capacity":"0","_ticket_start_date":"","_ticket_end_date":"","_tribe_ticket_show_description":"","_tribe_ticket_show_not_going":false,"_tribe_ticket_use_global_stock":"","_tribe_ticket_global_stock_level":"","_global_stock_mode":"","_global_stock_cap":"","_tribe_rsvp_for_event":"","_tribe_ticket_going_count":"","_tribe_ticket_not_going_count":"","_tribe_tickets_list":"[]","_tribe_ticket_has_attendee_info_fields":false,"wds_primary_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1929,1985],"tags":[2007,2041,2002],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rosemurraybrown.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4569"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rosemurraybrown.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rosemurraybrown.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rosemurraybrown.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rosemurraybrown.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4569"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/rosemurraybrown.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4569\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4601,"href":"https:\/\/rosemurraybrown.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4569\/revisions\/4601"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rosemurraybrown.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4570"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rosemurraybrown.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4569"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rosemurraybrown.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4569"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rosemurraybrown.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4569"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}