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Uruguay and wine country, who knew the two were synonymous?

Two nights ago I spent one night in Carmelo, a very small town in western Uruguay along the coast that has garnered international attention lately for its beautiful countryside and wineries.

When I told my Uruguayan colleagues I wanted to go to Carmelo, several of them balked, “Carmelo, but WHY?”

“Well, because it has wineries…”

I was quickly informed that going to wineries or “bodegas” is what grandparents like to do.

It’s funny, wine culture hasn’t really caught on with Uruguayan millennials (craft beer took a little while to get here), whereas us American millennials are so into wine tasting, we’re members of wine clubs and even have things like UberWine to make sure we enjoy responsibly.

So, the wine lover in me booked one night in Carmelo, to see for myself what all the hype was about.

Traveling to Carmelo

I booked a roundtrip bus ticket online from Montevideo to Carmelo, a three hour ride. I took an Uber from the apartment I am staying at to the bus terminal, Tres Cruces. Uruguay has an excellent bus system as its buses are usually pretty clean, comfortable, and affordable with several buses leaving many times a day taking you anywhere you want to go. No car? No hay problema.

I left at 6pm on Friday and arrived at 9pm.

Since it was dark, and I had never been to Carmelo before, after I got off the bus I waited for a taxi and asked the taxi driver to take me to the hotel. Silly me, the hotel was only a few blocks away and Carmelo is very safe. I could have walked and been just fine, but the taxi driver was very nice about it.

Where I stayed

I reserved a private room in the Ah’ Lo Boutique Hostel, a rustic, eclectic, and shabby-chic joint. My room was immaculate, with AC and a private bathroom and a great shower. As a backpacker-type traveler, for me it was a little piece of heaven. The window even had a screen, so no bugs or mosquitos could spend the night with me! (Montevideo has no screens on any windows or doors. No, I’m not joking.)

Dinner in Carmelo

I quickly realized very few people were also staying at the hostel as I wandered around, checking out the quaint back patio with string lights, a barbecue, and cozy seating areas. I figured April must not be the high season. That would mean it’s me, myself and I for dinner.
The receptionist told me to go to Che Carmelo, “the best restaurant in town (with good prices).”

Sold!

It was only 3 blocks away, located on the charming main square, the Plaza de Independencia, littered with trees, statues, fountains… “the works.” But, what’s funny is that every small town in Uruguay has an identical square with the same name! If you see one, you’ve seen them all.

I sat outside on the patio and watched children playing and laughing while riding bikes all around. By this time it was about ten o’clock, a pretty normal hour to eat dinner in Uruguay.

To my delight, I was able to order a gluten free pizza! Hallelujah. I also got a half bottle of the house red wine (jarra de vino tinto) and for dessert, a creme brûlée. All that for just $15, yum!

Wine Tasting

The next morning, I rented a bike from the hostel and set out towards the area where Carmelo’s wineries are (a full list of them can be found here). I highly recommend the experience of going on a bike! You could take a taxi, but would miss the opportunity to explore the area for yourself. The receptionist gave me a map and directions which were very easy to follow.

First I went to the Almacen de la Capilla where I was given a tour by a member of the family that owns the winery. I then sat outside and tasted five different wines: a Chardonnay, Rosé, Rosé Moscatel, Tannat, and Cabernet Sauvignon.
Tannat is the most prominent red wine grape in Uruguay. Unfortunately I am not a huge fan of it, I’d take a Malbec over Tannat any day.

My favorite wine was the Cabernet Sauvignon, so I bought a bottle to bring back to my friends in Montevideo.

I then went to the tasting room at the bodega next door, Campotinto, which was even more beautiful! I loved the patio and the inside; it was all very well decorated.

I then tried three of the wines, the “premium” tasting. I didn’t even finish all three, but they were good! I ordered some empanadas and completely fell off the gluten-free wagon. I still haven’t managed to get back on, to be honest! At this point, I had spent about 3 hours (drinking slowly…) at these places and I was itching to get on the bike again and explore.

Playa Seré

So, I got back on the route to town, and when I reached my hostel, I kept going. I found the riverfront and crossed a bridge to the other side. I knew the “beach”, Playa Seré, was close and after a little while, I finally found it. It’s really just a riverside, where you can see Argentina in the distance. There were many families having asados and enjoying the beautiful day.

Finally, I went back to the hotel and relaxed until it was time to get back on the bus and go home where my friends were awaiting me with an asado.

Yes to asado! Yes to Uruguay!

Recommendations

Overall, I’d recommend a trip to Carmelo if A) you are already in Uruguay and enjoy wine or B) you are in Buenos Aires, Argentina and would like to take a nice day trip via ferry ride and say you went to Uruguay.

For all things Carmelo and Uruguay at large, I highly recommend visiting this website: Guruguay!

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