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This New World wine region produces Albariño wine that’s on par with the best wine houses on the Iberian Peninsula. If you’re ready to give Uruguay’s interpretation of Albariño a try, a good place to start is with Bodega Garzon’s 2020 Single Vineyard Albarino.
Bodega Garzon was founded by Argentinian-Italian billionaire businessman Alejandro P. Bulgheroni. Bulgheroni is an avid wine lover and owns vineyards around the world, including Lithology Wines, a high-end, small-production Cabernet-focused label in Napa Valley. The estate, located in St. Helena, was previously part of the Harlan portfolio and produced the very hard-to-acquire Napa Valley Reserve Wines.
Although, saying Bulgheroni is simply an avid wine lover may be understating things. According to SevenFifty Daily, he has “…invested over $1 billion over the last decade in wine estates across four continents.”
These investments include vineyards in Bordeaux, Tuscany, China, and South Africa.
For Bodega Garzon, Alejandro partnered with Alberto Antonini, a world-renowned oenologist who, in 2015, was named one of the world’s top wine consultants by Decanter magazine. With Alberto’s help, Bodega Garzon won Wine Enthusiast’s New World Winery of The Year for 2018.
Over the years, Bodega Garzon has become a prolific wine producer, the largest in Uruguay, in fact. Its wines are also the most exported in the country. Of the 38,000 cases of wine that were shipped to the US from Uruguay, 25,000 of those came from Bodega Garzon!
Alejandro Bulgheroni went to great lengths to make his Uruguay vineyard and winery one of the best, not just in the region but in the country. Visitors to the winery will learn firsthand how the winery became the first in the world to receive a LEED certification not just on the production side of the winemaking process but across all sectors of the business, including the wine club, the administrative offices, the cellar, the restaurant, and, of course, the winery.
In addition to that design feat, the winery offers what they call ‘enotourism’ adventures. These experiences include intimate winery tours and private dining experiences complete with your own personal sommelier, the opportunity to blend your own barrel of wine, hot air balloon vineyard tours, and more.
Garzon is a small coastal town in the Maldonado region of Uruguay. The Atlantic maritime climate in Garzon is similar to the Rías Baixas region in coastal Spain, where Albarino thrives. Albarino that grows close to coastal elements routinely develops a distinct salinity from the influence of the ocean air, and those that enjoy a bottle like the 2020 Albarino from Bodega Garzon will pick up on this unique quality. In the case of Bodega Garzon, the vineyards are just 10 miles from the Atlantic Ocean.
Commercial vineyards are a rather new concept in Garzon but one that has taken off in the last 20 years. Prior to 2001, there were no vineyards or wineries in the region. We have Paula and Alvaro Pivel, two former finance professionals who traded their corporate jobs for a country lifestyle, to thank. The young couple planted 40 acres of Tannat, Syrah, and Cab Franc as an experiment, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Today, the Garzon wine region has over 800 acres of vines and several dozen producers.
Uruguay is a newer wine region, but even so, Albarino wasn’t planted here until the early 2000s when Bouza Vineyards took a chance on the grape and planted it in Canelones. Since then, Albarino has taken off. If Tannat is Uruguay’s most popular red variety, then Albarino is the most popular white grape variety. These wines are known for their rippling minerality, juicy acidity, and refreshing fruit and floral notes.
When it comes to easy-drinking, value white wines, Albarino is considered the rise-stars of Uruguay’s wine scene.
Uruguay
Maldonado
Albariño
13
49–55°F / 9–12°C
Chardonnay
Not Necessary
Not to 2025
This Albarino from Garzon is brisk, acidic, and, frankly, really good. In the glass, the wine is a pale lemon green. Bright citrus aromas of lime and grapefruit lead the way, with softer nectarine and graphite following.
While Albarino is a gloriously acidic wine, it can also have some body on it – this one is medium-bodied but still has a certain lightness to it. Add to those elements of lemon, lime, ripe melon, tart grapefruit, that distinct graphite note, and some salinity, and you’ve got a pretty versatile wine.
This is a very nice Albarino, and it’s no surprise that this wine has fans around the world. Both Wine Spectator and James Suckling scored this wine a 91.
Pair Albarino with your favorite seafood dishes, lighter pasta, or summer salads.
