Our last port before leaving the cruise was in Montevideo. As soon as I saw an excursion that would allow me to do some wine blending, I said “Oh, yeah!”
We were taken by van to the Varela Zarranz winery, run by the fourth generation of winemakers in the family. We first had a tour of the winery, ending up in a room in the warehouse with our winemaking supplies before us.
We were given three bottles of their fine wines: a Tannat, a Cabernet Sauvignon, and a Merlot. Our instructions were to taste the three varietals, and then create three blends with different amounts of each wine. Once we decided on a blend we liked, we were to pour that blend into a wine bottle with our own name on the label. Needless to say, everyone was very happy by the time we got to the “put it in the bottle” part.
After our winemaking effort, we were led to the dining venue. They served a traditional barbecue with, of course, much more wine.The meal was hearty and tasty. By this time our small group was very happy, some declaring lifelong friendship.
The pears poached in Tannat wine and cinnamon, served with ice cream, didn’t last long enough for me to take a photo. Ot maybe it had something to do with the wine consumed that lovely day.
Travels with Billie 