The next day was a day at sea and we had a wine tasting on board. While it was interesting, these were all mostly wines we were well aware of, and not higher end. It seems it’s mostly to get you to try wines they offer on the ship? Oh well, it killed an hour and a half.
During this sea day we finally left Brazilian waters and not a minute too soon. We were notified when we boarded the ship that any purchases made on the ship, including wine, spirits, or anything from the shops onboard, were being charged an extra 25% fee payable to Brazil. I have no idea why, but this fee has been in place for cruise ships since 2014.
Pulling into Montevideo I saw they were actively filling in a part of the harbor to expand their port facilities.
After docking, directly outside our stateroom, was this ship/boat graveyard. I’m surprised to see this in such a public setting. This is also an environmental hazard as these vessels will all end up leaking toxins into the bay. Curious as Uruguay is supposed to be extremely environmentally conscious.
We had a private tour with Gonzalo from Tours By Locals, a company that consistently has some of the best tour guides no matter where we go! Gonzalo was excellent! Our first stop was the Port Market adjacent to the maritime area where we docked. It has several restaurants and shops, as well as this old four-faced clock imported from Liverpool, England and installed in 1897. Looks a bit like a miniature Big Ben.
Montevideo is a gorgeous city, extremely clean and has probably the most attractive people we’ve seen in South America. It has a very European feel to it and is considered the safest country in Latin America. We stopped in Zabala Square, where Gonzalo discussed Bruno Zabala, the Spanish military officer and governor who founded Montevideo in 1726 by expelling the Portuguese forces from the area.
It was here that Gonzalo explained how Montevideo got its name. The hill depicted here is the highest point in the city, which explains “Monte”, a theory held as true by everybody.
Gonzalo then laid out a hypothesis for the “video” portion, however, from doing my own research (which I always do…I don’t trust anybody!) it seems there are several interpretations for the “video” part, with the bulk of the belief being that a sailor on Magellan’s 1520 expedition stated “Monte vide eu”, which is Portuguese for “I see a mountain/hill”. Gonzalo’s theory wasn’t even listed in the top 6! Oh well, perhaps it was trendy?
This Harris’ Hawk is apparently a regular in Zabala Square.
We then visited Plaza Matriz, founded in 1726 and the sight of the signing of Uruguay’s Constitution in 1830, immediately after obtaining independence from Brazil. I think it’s safe to say Montevideo has a lot of squares!
It was here we entered the Metropolitan Cathedral, Uruguay’s main catholic temple. That’s Gonzalo to the right of Kim.
Plenty of gold leaf adorn the altar area.
I really liked the colorful tile flooring in the church!
Yet another square, this one Independence Square, has a huge statue of Uruguay’s most important historical hero, Jose Artigas. Born in Montevideo, her grew up as a cowboy before joining the Spanish military in 1797. When the Spanish American wars of independence began he sided with Buenos Aires against Spain and accomplished key victories. While he ended up living his later years in exile in Paraguay, he laid the foundation for Uruguay’s struggle for independence and progressive ideals.
This building on Independence Square is Salvo Palace, one of the most recognizable landmarks in the city. Built between 1923 and 1928. At 344′ tall, it was briefly the tallest building in Latin America. Originally planned as a luxury hotel, it flopped due to lack of demand, and became a mix of apartments and office/commercial spaces. It really stood out to me on the skyline as our ship neared the city.
This is a replica of the “Gateway to the Citadel”, when the city was surrounded by a fortified wall.
Just behind this is Uruguay’s Walk of Fame, with famous people represented by the sun from the Uruguay flag.
Here is Uruguay’s Parliament building, which houses their Senators. The Representatives are in a building directly adjacent, and connected with an underground tunnel.
Pretty cool architecture! The flag on the right is for the Netherlands, as they were apparently visiting while we were there.
Before we departed the city for our winery visit we stopped by Gonzalo’s place, as everybody wanted to see his dogs. It was right on the way, so why not!
We drove about 40 minutes to what Gonzalo feels is the best winery in Uruguay. Along the way he spotted this Burrowing Owl on the side of the road. They are often active during the day since they are diurnal.
We then pulled into the beautiful Marichal Winery!
We were greeted by the lovely Lorena, who got us out of the heat and into a tasting room.
We tried 5 wines. First up was their Sauvignon Blanc, which was decent. Next was their Albarino, which was excellent! I could have sworn it was from Spain!
I was looking for pricing on that wine via winesearcher.com and an unusual label came up, which I showed Lorena and she said “oh, we have to try that”. First however was their Pinot Noir, and as a Pinot aficionado, I have to say, it’s not going to beat California. Ok, onto the unusual wine, Ancellotta. Interesting “Where the Wild Things Are” label, but even better was the wine was awesome! Ancellotta is a rather rare Italian red varietal, and I was immediately drawn to it.
Last but not least was Uruguay’s most famous wine, Tannat. I found Marichal’s 2020 Tannat to be the perfect blend of body and fruit, and will only get better with age! This winery has some sweet stuff going on! I even purchased a 2005 to try it side by side with the 2020 and it was still exceptional! Yes, the wine in that glass is 26 years old….doesn’t look it!
Marichal is not some backwoods winery either, as they scored the 2020 #61 Wine for Wine Spectator for their 2018 Tannat!
We even took a short stroll in the vineyards, which are about a month away from harvest. Here is some Tannat ripening on the vine.
One last shot of the gang in the tasting room!
Coming up next, we visit Buenos Aires, Argentina, and have another excellent tour with “Tours by Locals” guide Guillermo!
