November 23-December 5, 2024 with Marcelo Padua
Uruguay remains South America’s best kept secret. This tiny nation rarely makes the news and yet it has one of the best qualities of life in South America, so it is no wonder that everyone who takes this tour falls in love with this beautiful country. The laid-back nature of its people, its wonderful food and wine, and a wonderful avifauna make it a perfect destination for our Birds and Wines tour series.
We started our tour with a visit of Bodega Spinoglio in Montevideo, where we saw some interesting birds such as the Firewood Gatherer and Blue-and-yellow Tanager, and got our first taste of the wonderful Uruguayan wines before heading to the Colonia de Sacramento, a world heritage site where we learned about the colonization history of the Rio de la Plata and enjoyed a few common birds before stepping off the beaten path and exploring the Uruguay that few people get to see.
Our tour stays in two estancias that are off the regular tour routes but provide access to some world class birding with species such as Scimitar-billed Woodcreepers, Little Thornbirds, Lark-like Brushrunner, Buff-browed Foliage-gleaner, Chestnut-backed Tanager and White-fronted Woodpecker as some of the highlights of our visit to the Payssandu and Rivera departments.
We then swung to the coast on a long driving day that had us crossing the entire country only to reposition ourselves for some wetland birding that yielded some gems like Saffron-cowled Blackbirds, Marsh Seedeater, Black-and-white Monjita and many others, followed by a few nights in the lovely town of Jose Ignacio, from where we explored a variety of habitats that produced some highly sought after birds such as South American Painted Snipe, Chestnut-backed Tanager and even the critically endangered Yellow Cardinal.
Our tour was full of laughter, enjoyment and great food paired with wonderful wines and I have fond memories of the days we spent together. I hope we can do it again some day wherever our birding may take us.
In addition to all the great birds we saw we ammassed quite the impressive list of wines sampled. Here is a list of all of them!
Diego Spinoglio, Single Vineyard – Chardonnay, 2023 (white)
Diego Spinoglio, Single Vineyard – Merlot 2023 (red)
Diego Spinoglio, Single Vineyard – Tannat 2023 (red)
Diego Spinoglio, Single Vineyard – Cabernet Franc 2023 (red)
Diego Spinoglio, Tonel Diez Corte Único – Blend (multiple vintage red blend)
Familia Deicas, Cuvee Castelar Brut Reserve – Pinot Noir/Pinot Meunier ( sparkling wine)
Familia Deicas, Atlantico Sur – Albarinho 2024 (white)
El Legado, Edicio Limitada – Tannat Reserva 2021 (red)
Almacen de la Capilla, Vino Blanco – Chardonnay 2023 (White)
Almacen de la Capilla, Vino Rosado – Moscatel de Hamburgo 2023 (Rose)
Almacen de la Capilla, Vino Rosado – Tannat 2023 (Rose)
Almacen de la Capilla, 5ta Generacion – Tannat/Merlot 2023 (Red)
Almacen de la Capilla, Vino Tinto Roble – Tannat 2020 (Red)
Almacen de la Capilla, Tannat Roble – Tannat 2018 (Red)
Almacen de la Capilla, Licor de Tannat – Tannat 2018 (Fortified Red)
Ariano –El Colorado, Petit Grain Muscat 2020 (White)
Gimenes Mendez, Alta Reserva – Tannat 2020 (Red)
Don Pascual – Reserve– Chardonnay 2022 (White)
Narbona – Pinot Noir 2024 (Red)
Don Pascual, Reserve– Cabernet Sauvignon 2022 (Red)
Leonardo Falcone, Abuelo Domingo – Tannat 2022 (Red)
Narbona, Luz de Luna, Red Blend 2022 (Red)
Narbona, Maria- Merlot/Cabernet Franc/Petit Verdot 2023 (Red)
Castel Pujol – Folklore Blanco – Trebbiano/Malvasia 2024 (White Blend)
Vinas del 636, Blend 636 – Tannat/Merlot/Cabernet Sauvignon 2021 (Red Blend)
Vinas del 636,Tierra Fronteriza – Sauvignon Blanc 2023 (White)
Vinas del 636, Synergia – Tannat/Merlot/Cabernet Sauvignon 2022 (Red)
Cerro Chapeu, Viejas Vinas – Sauvignon Blanc 2024 (White)
Cerro Chapeu, 1752 Gran Tradicion – Petit Manseng/Viognier 2023 (White)
Cerro Chapeu, Viejas Vinas – Pinot Noir 2023 (Red)
Cerro Chapeu, Batovi – Tannat 2020 (Red)
Castel Pujol, Folklore Manseng Noir – Manseng Noir 2023 (Red)
Cerro Chapeu, Sust Brut Nature – Chardonnay/Pinot Noir 2021 (Sparkling White)
Vinas del 636,Tierra Fronteriza – Merlot/Moscatel/Trebbiano 2023 (Rose)
Castel Pujol, Folklore Tinto – Tannat/Petit Manseng 2024 (Red)
Don Pascual – Crianza en Roble – Cabernet Sauvignon 2021 (Red)
Bodega Garzon, Extra Brut – Sparkling
Bodega Garzon, Single Vineyard – Albariño 2023 (White)
Bodega Garzon, Petit Clos Block 87 – Pinot Noir 2020 (Red)
Bodega Garzon – Reserva –Albariño 2024 (White)
Bodega Garzon – Reserva – Pinot Noir 2024 (Rosé)
Bodega Garzon – Reserva – Cabernet Franc 2022 (Red)
Bodega Garzon – Reserva – Marselan 2023 (Red)
Paraje Jose Ignacio, Sierra Oriental – Sauvignon Blanc 2023 (White)
Alto de la Ballena, Reserva – Tannat/Viognier 2018 (Red)
Familia Bresesti – Albarino 2024 (White)
Falmilia Bresesti, Tannat Premium – Tannat 2020 (Red)
Bodega Oceanica, Jose Ignacio – Merlot 2022 (Red)
Vina Eden, Cerro Negro Gran Reserva – Tannat/Merlot/Marselan 2018 (Red)
Familia Deicas, Single Vineyard Chacras de Juanico – Chardonnay 2023 (White)
Familia Deicas, Single Vineyard Sierras de Garzon – Merlot/Marselan/Tannat (Red)
You can see my complete trip report on eBird at this link: https://ebird.org/tripreport/297957
You can download a combined PDF of this page and the eBird report at this link: https://fieldguides.com/triplists/urw24TRIPLIST.pdf
Thanks for traveling with us!—Marcelo Padua