Uruguay is home to over 200 wineries, the wine scene is more dynamic than ever before, and the wines are turning heads in the international markets. And Garzon Wine is one of the bastions.

Most wineries in the country are owned by passionate families, each tending only a few hectares of prime-quality grapevines. The views are breathtaking; the estates are stunning, and the wines delicious.

If you enjoy wine and are looking for your next holiday destination, there’s no better place than Uruguay, they’re doing everything right.

Amongst all the prestigious and hardworking ‘bodegas,’ or wine estates, some are the flag-bearers for the country’s quality wine, and one of them is Bodega Garzón.

The winery’s flagship Tannat was included in Wine Spectator’s Top 100 wines in 2017 and earned the Best in Show at the Decanter World Wine Awards. Garzón Wines have accumulated over a dozen gold and silver medals in the prestigious Concours International Sélections Mondiales des Vins, and the accolades keep coming every year.

Here are 5 Reasons that put Bodega Garzón at the forefront of Uruguay’s wine scene.

1. An impressive terroir

One thousand distinct plots, each with a unique orientation, soil composition, and sun exposure, make the vineyards at Bodega Garzón heaven for grape growers.

Each row of vines is a color in the winemaker’s palette, giving the winery all it needs to craft textural and nuanced wines of complex personalities.

The vines are planted in ancient, 2500 million-year-old soils that have been smoothed and fragmented by climate and time. Bodega Garzón is the guardian and protector of these Balasto soils that imprint the estate’s wines with an inspiring, mineral personality.

Garzón’s vineyards are only 18 km (11 miles) from the Atlantic Ocean, and you can feel its influence as a refreshing breeze caressing the grapes as they ripen under the South American warm sun.

The winery’s best wines are made with the country’s iconic grape Tannat, and if you want to learn more about it, here are 5 Reasons Why You Will Love Tannat Wine If You Don't Already.

2. A state-of-the-art winery

The Avant-Garde winery where Garzón wines are born lies between two realms, between time-worn, artisanal craftsmanship, and 21st-century technology.

From grape to bottle, all the wine making process relies on gravity; the wine is never pumped or disturbed. This is the first certified sustainable winery in South America.

The Wine Enthusiast Magazine, through its prestigious Wine Star Awards, named Garzón The Best New World Winery in 2018 for its environmental efforts. This came as no surprise. Garzón produces Uruguay’s best-selling wines, it’s an industry example for sustainability, and also for hospitality.

3. Garzon Wines are great; food is excellent

Bodega Garzón has its own restaurant, but this is no ordinary eatery. It is orchestrated by the award-winning and world-famous Argentine Chef Francis Mallmann, the master of cooking with fire.

The restaurant offers three fixed menus, all built around local, seasonal Uruguayan produce and the country’s obsession for the grill.

‘Garzón Estate’ is a four-course menu offering fresh citrus-marinated fish, local grilled eggplants, roasted tomatoes, house-made sausages, lamb, pasta, and a gorgeous selection of desserts.

The five-course ‘Garzón Wine Reserva’ menu is based entirely on Mallmann’s open-flame grilling techniques and includes hummus, grilled lamb kidney, roasted suckling pig, and rib eye.

The ‘Single Vineyard’ menu offers the finest produce in the country: caviar, white garlic salad, burrata pizza, prime meat, and a gorgeous burned sabayon to end dinner with a high note.

Food in Garzón is not an afterthought, and all the menus are paired with local and international wines for the most immersive experience into the country’s rich culinary tradition.

4. Garzon Wines, Wines of all styles

Garzón offers a myriad of wine styles to pair with any menu and occasion.

The Petit Clos line offers beautiful, uncomplicated wines made of Cabernet Sauvignon, Tannat, Cabernet Franc, and the refreshing white Albariño.

Six distinct Single Vineyard wines reflect the winery’s best plots and the pure soul of Uruguay’s terroir.

The team at Garzón put the greatest care behind their Reserva wines, including a unique wine made with the local Marselan grape and an elegant rosé made with Pinot Noir Grapes.

Estate wines are designed to meet even the most demanding palates and are suitable for fine-dining scenarios. A Tannat-based blend labeled ‘Tannat de Corte’ is amongst the best-blended wines in the country.

Sparkling wines, a decadent dessert wine, and an aromatic grappa complete Garzón Wine collection, and the crown's jewel is the winery’s top wine, ‘Balasto’, named after the region’s soils; it's amongst the most refined reds in the world.

5. Garzón wines you need to try

Bodega Garzón Estate 'Balasto', Maldonado, Uruguay

This is an exciting blend of 45% Tannat, 25% Cabernet Franc, 18% Petit Verdot, 12% Marselan, aged for 12 months in French oak barrels. The wine stuns your nose with red and black fruit aromas and pleasant layers of spices and dried herbs. The palate is structured and the aftertaste long, ideal for game meat, duck, and grilled prime steaks.

Bodega Garzón Reserva Albariño, Maldonado, Uruguay

This 100% Albariño, Uruguay’s best accomplished white grape, shows itself with bright green tones and aromas of pitted fruit and wildflowers over a lemon-scented, mineral palate with balanced acidity.

Bodega Garzón Cosecha Tardia, Maldonado, Uruguay

Uruguay is more than rich reds and refreshing whites, and Garzón’s late harvest is proof of it. Made with Petit Manseng, from grapes blessed by the famous noble rot that concentrates the grape’s sweetness, this work of art brings forward honeyed aromas of raisins, saffron and roasted nuts over a palate as luscious as liquid gold.

As you’ve seen, Bodega Garzón makes world-class wine; it’s a top destination for wine aficionados and adventure seekers; foodies and nature lovers. It has it all. Garzón Wines have something for you, no matter what makes your heart sing.

Enjoy a glass of Garzón wine and experience some of the best Uruguay has to offer. The secret is out: Uruguay’s wine is the next big thing, and there’s not much to go around, so stock your cellar with Garzón’s fine wines and share them with friends and family.