Suzi Travels

Montevideo, Uruguay

First occupied by the Spanish in 1724, then British, Argentine, Português, and Brazilian but not established independence from Buenos Aire until 1730. It continued to be invaded by many nations until Jose Artigas, a soldier and statesman who is regarded as a national hero in Uruguay and the father of Uruguayan nationhood, broke away from the Buenos Aires government and in 1815 took over Montevideo and formed the Federal League. Unfortunately, it continued to be occupied by invading forces until 1828 when they officially became an independent country, Montevideo is 125 miles across the Rio de la Plata from Buenos Aries, Argentina. The country of Uruguay has a population of approximately 3.3 million, with 1.5 million people living in the capital of Montevideo. Uruguay is a democracy that holds elections every 5 years. Everyone above the age of 18 must register and is required to vote. You have a passport-like document that gets stamped when you vote, in person. If you choose not to vote and then need some type of government license or document, you must produce your voting paperwork. If you haven’t voted and it is not stamped, you will be heavily fined and whatever it is you need will be seriously delayed. She said it is much easier to just vote. Currently approximately 80% of the population is middle class, with 10% wealthy, 10% poverty. The ratio of retired to workers is 1:1. And the average is 1.7 children per household. So, because of these statistics, Uruguay is encouraging immigration. They need more working families.

There are many theories as to the name of the city. Monte vide eu (“I saw a mount”) is the most widespread belief but is rejected by the majority of experts, who consider it unlikely because it involves a mix of dialects.  The most likely is the Spanish annotated geographic one, Monte-VI-D-E-O (Monte VI De Este a Oeste, “Sixth mount from east to west”.

Cattle is one of the main exports. It is estimated that there are 12 million grass fed cattle in Uruguay, way more than people. Tourism is another major source of income. Uruguay is in constant competition with Argentina & Brazil. So a few facts that the guide gave us: Uruguay has the longest Carnival season, 40 days; they won the first Soccer World cup in 1930 against Argentina; they won the 1950 World Cup against Bazil in a major upset.

An early morning start and we were off to the Best of Montevideo and Juanico Winery. We enjoyed a panoramic drive through laid-back Montevideo. Its waterfront, lined with palm trees, and a well-preserved Old Town, populated by historic buildings, evoke thoughts of the French Riviera.

Next stop is 25 miles north of Montevideo to visit one of Uruguay’s leading vineyards — the Juanicó Winery. The unique terroir and microclimate of Juanicó have made this area an excellent site for viticulture. We toured the 800-acre vineyard, which has a distinctive structure that involves an intelligent canopy-management system based on organic agriculture principles. All grapes are picked by hand and no more than 33 pounds per box, as not to negatively affect the grape. The cultivated varieties include Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Marselan, Tempranillo, Petit Verdot, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir. But the specialty is the Tannat varietal, which has won several prizes in the European market. Their Preludio has 6 varieties of grapes. It is stored in a cellar made in 1745 and also used as a Jesuit refruge. In the company’s state-of-the-art winery and cellars, we had a tasting of Juanicó’s exceptional vintages. One of the cellars hold 10 million bottles

Nothing says Uruguay more than its great culinary tradition of grilled meats. We ate like locals, from the grill and complemented our carnivorous meal with a variety of fresh and delicious salads.

After dinner we watched a demonstration of the tango — a sensual dance whose roots trace back to Argentina and Uruguay. And we had a special guest dancer. Check out the video