Colonia

Located in western Uruguay, across the river from Buenos Aires, Colonia del Sacramento is bursting with colonial charm. Founded in 1680 by the Portuguese, it once served as a stronghold and today is a photo-worthy UNESCO world heritage site. The cobblestone streets of the Barrio Histórico invite wandering, photographing, or pulling up a chair for an espresso or beer at one of the scenic riverfront cafes.

Outside town, green fields and rolling hills are punctuated by silos and rolls of baled hay. Much of the province still is dedicated to making artisan cheeses, olive oil, and wine. Somehow this part of Uruguay remains untouched by time. Dusty country roads have century-old general stores and olive trees grow among rows of gnarly looking vines where the wine growers are the great grand sons and daughters of Italian immigrants.  Colonia is nostalgic, quaint, and usually love at first taste.

Ingredients

A STONY STRONGHOLD
Colonia, Uruguay

The pretty town of Colonia del Sacramento is a twisting series of narrow, cobblestone streets encasing Portuguese-style and stone facades. The petit scale of Colonia is perfect for a morning or afternoon of exploration on foot. Cruising the streets and stopping in local boutiques with a pause at a restaurant for local wines and tapas is the ideal combo. If you are in Buenos Aires and want a taste of Uruguay and escape from the hustle and bustle, Colonia is only an hour away by ferry.

Glorious Cheeses
Colonia, Uruguay
Drive through the pastures outside town and you’ll find this is where many Swiss and Italian immigrants settled to start small-scale dairy farms. Visit and taste with passionate cheesemakers in their tambos, farms, who are making a variety of cheeses from cow’s, goat’s, and sheep’s milk from the soft sardo, Colonia, and Danbo cheeses to the spreadable, tangy quark cheeses and intensely nutty aged Manchego-style.
IT RUNS IN THE FAMILY
Colonia, Uruguay
With a longtime tradition of winemaking, many lovingly call Colonia “Uruguayan Tuscany”, alluding to the small scale and friendliness of winery owners who receive guests. While Tannat may be king, there’s also Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Franc, Pinot Noir, Viognier and Chardonnay to sip and savor, often in century-old almacenes(general stores) that double as tasting rooms.

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Things We Love

Nostalgic Carmelo: An hour’s drive north of Colonia del Sacramento, this quiet country town seems to have been frozen in time circa 1920. Complete with old almacenes (general stores), bistros, and vintage cars, Carmelo is the perfect base to explore the vineyards and pursuing leisure activities like sailing the river, horseback riding, playing a round of golf, or taking meditative walks in the quiet pine forests. We adore the mom-and-pop restaurants serving up tender, fresh, homemade pasta with the region’s best Parmesano.

Medio-Medio & Martin Fierro: If wine and cheese are the indicator of an ideal place to visit, Uruguay qualifies as a foodie dream. These are cornerstones of the local gastronomic culture. Medio-Medio is a local favorite sweet sparkling wine made with grapes like the Ottonel Muscat, Chardonnay or even Cabernet Sauvignon as a rose. It’s served as dessert with Martin Fierro, a slice of quince paste topped with a creamy Colonia cheese. 

The Waterfront: Sunset on the Colonia coast is epic. As the sun sinks into the horizon, the river turns a silvery hue and the sky becomes a myriad of purple and pink hues. In either Colonia del Sacramento or Carmelo, take a front row seat for the show at your hotel, a waterfront cafe, on the rocks, or a sandy beach, to relish this marvel of nature.

Searching for flavors; the honest
and the meaningful

Hotels

Charco Hotel

Strategically located in the historic district of Colonia del Sacramento, this petit stone hotel sports a magnificent view of the river with a delicious terrace. Maintaining the colonial style, the well-appointed rooms are decorated brightly, in white. It is the perfect spot to explore town and the terrace has some of the best seats in Colonia for sunset or an alfresco lunch.

Wine Lodge Narbona

Surrounded by vines and tucked away on the quiet shores of Carmelo, this tiny Relais & Chateaux property will take you back in time to another era. Replete with antiques, this attentive lodge is a refuge for food and wine lovers where they make wine, grappa, and ethereal aged hard cheeses on site. Each suite comes with its own fireplace and a bearclaw bath tub, perfect for soaking, or cuddling by the fire, with a glass of the house Tannat. Visit the cellar, lounge on the beach at the private Puerto Camacho, go sailing on the River Plate, saddle up with the gauchos, walk in the pine forest, or savor an exclusive cheese & wine tasting in their nostalgic stone cellar.

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