Bodega Garzon Tannat with Sausage Stew

What I love about wine is that it’s a never ending learning process and this months Wine Pairing Weekend group takes us to Uruguay to discover these South American wines.  This is actually my first go around at tasting a wine from Uruguay.  It is always tough to not want to judge wines from a particular country once you’ve tried some and make an overall judgment on the quality produced there.  Luckily the wine I’m sharing today from Bodega Garzon left a positive impression, but I have been on the opposite side of the spectrum many years ago with South African wines.  I had tried a couple at a tasting and they were not to my liking at all.  I never tried them again for years until my trip to South African back in about 2012.  I ventured to the wine region of Stellenbosch.  To make a long story short my first impression previously was no longer valid and I’ve really come to appreciate the wines produced in South Africa.  So push yourself to try something new and keep exploring as you may be pleasantly surprised.  Let’s begin to explore Uruguay and all it has to offer. 

The Land 

Uruguay is located in South America and is situated between Argentina and Brazil close to the Adriatic Ocean that provides a cooling breeze over the land.  Their temperate climate is very favorable to winegrowing and is on the same latitude of New Zealand, Australia and South Africa.   What was so interesting to learn about this country is the large influx of Italian immigrants there in the late 19th century to early 20th century.  I've read that about 1/3 to 1/2 of the population is Italian so there is a large influence of the Italian way of life, especially via food and wine.

The Winery 

Bodega Garzon immediately makes taking a trip to Uruguay enticing from the amazing pictures and information they share on their website not only about their winery itself, but the land and attractions of what Uruguay has to offer.  The newly established winery looks like a vacation in and of itself with cooking classes, helicopter rides and a restaurant onsite.  You got me sold!  Plus, it was rated in 2018 by Wine Enthusiast as New World Winery of the Year!

Copyright of Bodega Gardon

The winery was founded by Alejandro Bulgheroni and their pride lies in operating as a sustainable winery that through its practices produces wines that truly show an expression of the land.  According to their website they are “the first sustainable LEED certified winery (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) outside of North America” which was established by the US Green Building Council.  

Copyright of Bodega Garzon

Bodega Garzon makes sure all their grapes are also hand harvested so the utmost quality grapes are used in their production.  They actually have 1,000 plots of with varying climates, exposures to sun, land orientations and soils.  What’s unique about their soil is that it contains crystalline basement, which dates back to 2500 million years ago.  This soil is further broken down into what they call ballast, which is the weathered rock.  It’s great for drainage, which makes the roots strive for the nutrients they need and it also provides a lot of minerals. 

The Grape 

Tannat is a grape that shines in Uruguay and is the primary grape they are known for.  It’s a grape that originates from the southwestern part of France, specifically Madiran.  Tannat grapes produce wines with great structure, depth that are dark in the glass and filled mostly with black fruits and even some spice.  Between the sagrantino last week and tannat this week I guess my recent wines haven’t been for the light hearted wine lovers.  Plus, as if you needed a reason to drink more wine this grape is known to be higher in antioxidants!     

The Wine 

I enjoyed the 2016 Bodega Garzon Single Vineyard Tannat.  Deep, dark ruby in the glass with an intense nose of mostly black fruits.  A dry wine on the palette full of body and earth with good acid and firm tannins.  Again with black fruits on the palette combined with vanilla notes.  There was a dark, rustic side to this wine that I truly enjoyed.  ABV 14.5% SRP $30 

The Pairing: Since food from Uruguay is very much focused on meat I felt that the tannat would pair best with a sausage stew I recently made.  It’s simple as anything to prepare and flavorful to warm up these cold winter nights in New England.  Combined with diced tomatoes, spinach and tortellini I combined these ingredients with the sausage dashed with some oregano, salt, pepper and garlic.  The sausage seemed to be a natural pairing with the tannat and I can imagine many other meats and BBQ would as well. 

Have any of my readers been to Uruguay?  I unfortunately have yet to venture to South America, but it’s on my list of places to visit.  

Join the rest of my fellow food and wine bloggers as they share their amazing pairings of Uruguay wines with food.  If you catch us in time we’ll be chatting live on Twitter this Saturday February 9th at 11am EST at #WinePW.  

• Pinny from Chinese Food and Wine Pairings presents Uruguay's Bodega Garzon Tannat Paired with Lamb Skewers and Beef Short Ribs 
• Camilla from Culinary Adventures with Camilla gives us Brined Quail with a Numbered Bottle of Tannat 
• Cindy from Grape Experiences provides Taste Uruguay: 1752 Gran Tradicion Montevideo 2017 and Pasta with Caruso Sauce 
• David from Cooking Chat stirs up BBQ Baked Steak Tips with Wine from Uruguay 
• Wendy from A Day In The Life On The Farm presents Food and Wine of Uruguay; Chivito Sandwiches paired with Garzon Cab Franc 
• Jeff from FoodWineClick offers up Picturing Uruguay with Lentil Stew & Aguara Tannat 
• Kat from Bacchus Travel & Tours hints at a Hidden Gem: On the Hunt for Wine from Uruguay
• Jane from Always Ravenous stirs up Discovering Uruguayan Wine Paired with a Winter Plate
• Steven from Steven's Wine And Food Blog shares Tannat and Brazilian Feijoada #WinePW
• Linda from My Full Wine Glass asks Meatless in Uruguay - Is that possible? #WinePW
• Deanna from Asian Test Kitchen says Relax Your Mussels with Uruguayan Albarino 
• Sarah from Curious Cuisiniere pairs Tannat from Uruguay and French Cassoulet 
• Nancy from Pull That Cork gives us Uruguay: a Wine and Food Sampler #winePW 
• Gwen from Wine Predator shares Uruguay: Influenced by Immigrants #WinePW 
• Martin of ENOFYLZ Wine Blog writes A Taste of the #Food and #Wine of Uruguay 
• Nicole from Somm's Table serves Two Rounds with Bodega Garzón Tannat: Chivitos and Chipotle-Coffee Flank Steak 
• Jill at L'Occasion, rolls out To All The Foods I've Loved Before: Pairing Uruguayan Tannat Don't miss an Italian wine blog ~ Subscribe  

*These wines were provided as samples, but opinions are always my own.

Holiday Wines with a Sicilian Flair #WinePW

I'll start off letting my readers know that Vino Travels welcomed a new member to my family, Lorenzo, born 2 weeks early on November 19th weighing in at 9 pounds 3 ounces and 21 ¼ in length.  We're all doing great and taking each day as it comes, but even more reason to jump back into the wine tasting game as we now have a 17 month old running around and a newborn.   

I'm joining our Wine Pairing Weekend crew as it's been awhile and we're featuring gift giving of holiday wines.  If you're a follower of Vino Travels you know I'm a fan of Sicilian wines for their value and unique qualities, especially those wines produced in the Mt. Etna area.  With such a strong presence in the market and quality wines to back up their reputation, today's holiday wine suggestions brings me to those from the winery, Donnafugata.  I won't repeat much history on the winery as you can reference my previous articles on them.  Overall, the winery began in 1983 by Giacomo and Gabriella Rallo and they produce their wines from 3 sites including Marsala where the family has a cellar since 1851, the island of Pantelleria known for the unique zibibbo grape and Contessa Entellina in southwestern Sicily. 

Per Folio Wine Partners "the winery was one of the first wineries in Italy to produce all of its electricity from solar energy, taking advantage of the bountiful Sicilian sunshine, and in 2015 the island of Pantelleria was given UNESCO certification recognizing its unique vine training method." 

Let's dig right in to the wines themselves.  Unfortunately due to the circumstances I wasn't able to prepare dishes themselves for each pairing, but recommendations provided. 

2012 Donnafugata Tancredi 

A blend of cabernet sauvignon with indigenous nero d'avola along with tannat and other varieties.  These grapes are hand harvested from their Contessa Entellina vineyard.  They're aged 14 months in new and old French oak barriques with an additional 30 months in the bottle.  Deep red in color with a fragrant nose. A combo of red and dark fruits with good structure and a lengthy finish.  Donnafugata recommends this wine can be aged over 10 years.  Give it some time breath in advance.  If you're one for ratings their previous 2011 vintage scored 90+ points plus was a winner of the Tre Bicchieri.  ABV 13% SRP $40 

Food pairing: Donnafugata recommends T-bone steak, game and burgers.  I'd even recommend pasta alla norma that I've prepared in the past, which is made with eggplant. 

2012 Donnafugata  Mille e una Notte 

Donnafugata's standout wine made up of nero d'avola, petit verdot, syrah and other grapes also sourced from the Contessa Entellina vineyard.  This is a wine with power and elegance that is rich in ripe dark fruits of plums and blackberries.  Finishing on the palate with persistence.  Aged 14 months in new French oak barriques and an additional 36 months in the bottle.  Recommended to age over 20 years.  ABV 14% SRP $80 

Food pairing: Donnafugata recommends rack of lamb, pappardelle with pork ragu and other roasts.  I think these are the perfect recommendations due to the weight and complexity of the wine.  Since the south is rich in vegetables maybe pair the meat with fagiolini alla peperonata, green beans with tomato in a bell pepper sauce.   

2015 Donnafugata Ben Rye 

This wine has been a previous pick for me in previous vintages.  A dessert wine after my heart.  Sourced from the island of Pantelleria off the western coast of Sicily.  Made from the zibibbo grape, also known as muscat.    What's unique about this wine is that part of the wine is made from dried grapes, which lend concentration and sweetness.  Aged in stainless steel for 7 months and an additional year in the bottle.  Deep golden/amber in color.  A luscious mouthfeel with apricots and peaches backed with acidity to balance off the sweetness.  Potential to age over 30 years if you care to hold onto it that long.  ABV 14% SRP $40 

Food pairing:  Donnafugata recommends pairing this wine with carmelized duck, foie gras and blue cheeses.  I also recommend a Sicilian Cassata, which is a sponge cake originating in Sicily consisting of layers of ricotta and candied fruit and nuts. 

*These wines shared were received as samples, but opinions are my own. 

Here are the other topics the #winePW crew will be covering:

Jade from The Tasting Pour will tell us "How to Choose a Wine Gift"

Jeff from foodwineclick will share "Holiday Wine Gift Ideas: Not Just Any Champagne"

Cindy from Grape Experiences will post "Wines from The Hess Collection – Will You be Naughty or Nice?"

Here on Cooking Chat we will write about "Christmas Wine Gifts: Tips and Bottles To Give"

Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm will share "Spreading Christmas Cheer"

Michelle from Rockin Red Blog is telling us "How to Give the Gift of Wine"

Gwendolyn from Wine Predator will share "Good Gifts Have Good Stories: 4 Wineries from Napa"

Culinary Adventures with Camilla is talking about "Sips Worth Sharing"

Lauren from The Swirling Dervish is blogging about "Family, Food, and Wine: The Gift of Memories"

Jill from L'Occasion will share "Wine Wrapped Up: The L'occasion Gift Guide"

Be sure to check on Saturday morning for these great articles! We will also hold a live Twitter chat on Saturday, Dec. 9., 11 am Easter Time / 8 a.m. Pacific. Just tune into the #winePW hashtag on Twitter at that time to join the conversation. You can check out past and future #winePW topics by visiting this page.

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