A wine-themed tour of beautiful Uruguay
Secret paradise in South America boasts beautiful vineyards

It might not have a Machu Picchu or an Iguazu Falls, but Uruguay is my favourite South American country, said Julia Buckley in The Times.
A place where it's exceptionally easy for visitors to find "cat- in-the-Sun contentment", a trip here is less about "bucket-list sightseeing" and more about enjoying "bucket-list bliss". Uruguay has gentle, green landscapes and huge Atlantic beaches. Montevideo, its capital, is "simpler, daintier, less highly strung" than its giant neighbour, Buenos Aires. And it has beautiful resort towns, excellent restaurants, and – the focus of my latest visit – remarkable wineries. These are not as famous as Argentina's or Chile's, but they are quite as good, and several have attractive hotels, allowing for a "heavenly" wine-lovers' tour of the country.
A good place to start is Bracco Bosca, 30 miles east of Montevideo along the vast Rio de la Plata estuary. Founded five generations ago by Italian immigrants, it produces "wonderful" wines from grapes including syrah and petit verdot.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The "star of the show", however, is tannat, or Harriague. This "oddball" variety is usually blended with cabernets in France because its high tannin content makes it bitter – but in Uruguay, it yields "gutsy-but-elegant" reds, and has become the "national grape". In 2020, Bracco Bosca's owner built two "modernist" cabins among the vines – delightful places to stay, and from which to visit two new winery restaurants nearby, Cerro del Toro and Las Espinas (where the filet mignon is "worth the airfare alone").
Further along the Atlantic coast lies José Ignacio, an "upmarket" beach resort that is a "foodie heaven" (don't miss the tapas bar Solera; its owner has created a map of the country's wineries – see mapadelvinouruguay on Instagram). In the hills to the north, there's another "top-notch" winery restaurant, Viña Edén, and a great vineyard hotel, the Luz Culinary Wine Lodge – a "dreamy" place with eight rooms and a "baguette-slim" infinity pool.
Journey Latin America has a 12-night trip from £3,853pp, excluding flights.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
The tourist flood in the Mediterranean: can it be stemmed?
Talking Point Finger-pointing at Airbnb or hotel owners obscures the root cause of overtourism in holiday hotspots: unmanageable demand
-
Thai fish pie with crispy turmeric potatoes recipe
The Week Recommends Tasty twist on the Lancashire hot pot is given a golden glow
-
Lovestuck: a 'warm-hearted' musical with a 'powerhouse score'
The Week Recommends Team behind the hit podcast My Dad Wrote a Porno have created a hilarious show about a disastrous viral Tinder date
-
Outrageous: glossy Mitford family drama is full of 'fun, fashion and froth'
The Week Recommends Adaptation of Mary Lovell's biography examines the scandalous lives of the aristocratic sisters
-
F1: The Movie – a fun but formulaic 'corporate tie-in'
Talking Point Brad Pitt stars as a washed up racing driver returning three decades after a near-fatal crash
-
Lost Boys: a 'sobering' journey to the heart of the manosphere
The Week Recommends James Bloodworth examines the 'cranks and hucksters' making money through 'masculine discontent'
-
6 productivity-ready homes with great offices
Feature Featuring an office with a gas fireplace in Oregon and a shared workspace with wraparound windows in Massachusetts
-
Critics' choice: Carrying the flag
Feature The best barbecue in town, Bradley Cooper's cheesesteak restaurant, and more