Uruguay is full of Surprises!

Uruguay is full of surprises,

and yesterday, after a long drive on a bumpy red dirt road, we experienced the ultimate in luxury with a visit to Bodega Garzon. Not sure which multi-millionaire is funding this incredible winery and olive oil project- it is beyond comprehension!

In any event, the owner, whoever they are likes to keep a low profile yet has invested his fortune in this estate. You see cattle, ostrich, vines, and incredible olive groves that go on for acres and acres!

The first sign that we were in for something special was the guard at the gate of what seemed to be an endless forest. It was like getting into a communist country! Glad we spoke enough Spanish to convince the guards to open the gates!

After driving down a long driveway past hundreds of olive trees, we arrived at a gorgeous LEED building. The high tech, state of the art winery was designed to blend seamlessly into the environment!

Once inside, we saw the ‘tasting room’ for both olive oil and wine, and then went on a tour of the new multi-million dollar winery that will be designed to blend into the environment and have grass (and possibly cows!) on top so it’s environmentally friendly.

The winery is young … in fact, we tasted the 2011 vintage of the whites- a perfect pinot blanco for me and a Rose for my husband!

However, the most amazing experience was the olive oil tasting. You swoosh the olive oil, form young to old in your mouth, and clear your palette with bread and water just like wine!

We tasted many of Garzon’s olive oils. They are all very unique and quite gourmet. The thing you must focus on when you taste olive oil is fruit, bitterness, and a spicy quality. Perfect with dark chocolate!