Lifestyle I
Ocean Breeze
WORDS: CHRISSIE MCCLATCHIE | IMAGE: BODEGA OCEÁNICA JOSÉ IGNACIO
So much of a wine’s identity hinges on its terroir – the growing conditions unique to a particular location. At Bodega Oceánica José Ignacio winery on Uruguay’s Atlantic coast, that’s a trio of clay soils, a mild climate (where it never gets too hot or too cold) and an ocean air that swoops up from not only the Atlantic Ocean but also the two lagoons that bookend the once sleepy nearby fishing village of the same name, now a bohemian hotspot and starry hangout.
The effect can be understood as soon as you taste that first sip: bright, fruity wines with a refreshing minerality and saline notes typical of the region. “A lot of people say that they can feel the saltiness of our wines,” owner Agustín Conserva tells TIDE.
When Conserva’s parents purchased the 52-hectare plot ten kilometres from the village of José Ignacio nearly 20 years ago, the pair from Montevideo initially envisaged an olive farm. Four years later, they decided they had nothing to lose by borrowing a few hectares to plant Pinot Noir and Merlot vines.
The first wine bottled under the Bodega Oceánica José Ignacio label, a Pinot Rosé, is as delicate a shade of salmon pink as anything made in St Tropez, a place José Ignacio is often compared to. Just like the coastal wines from the likes of Château Minuty and Domaines Ott on the Côte d’Azur, it has also become the drink of summer in the town’s casually cool restaurants and at its ultra-fashionable neighbouring city, Punta del Este.
Today, Tannat – Uruguay’s champion variety – Chardonnay and Albariño all also thrive in the bodega’s coastal soils. Overseeing the eight-hectare production is Hans Vinding Diers, a flying winemaker who came to South America via South Africa
and Bordeaux.
Bodega Oceánica José Ignacio has grown into a boutique destination vineyard that fits in with the laid-back elegance of its setting. There’s the rust-red winery fashioned like a half wine barrel flipped over – a design that promotes gravity-flow winemaking (considered a gentler approach). The ultra-modern olive mill pairs concrete and stained glass – and has won international acclaim. A sculpture garden of statement modern art features works by renowned Uruguayan artists, while celebrated Argentine Chef Fernando Trocca opened Mostrador Bodega José Ignacio, a sibling to local dining institution Mostrador Santa Teresita, on-site two years ago.
Yet, for Conserva and his family, the pull back to the ocean is constant. They are now ageing bottles of Albariño, Pinot Rosé and Tannat underwater, at depths of 15 metres below sea level near José Ignacio’s landmark lighthouse. “We leave 100 bottles at a time to rest in steel cages for six months,” he explains, adding that the cage is guided to and from the ocean floor by divers from the Uruguayan navy.
“When the bottles return to the surface, they are covered in barnacles,” he says. The combination of darkness, cool temperatures (12°C) and constant movement also imparts more complexity to the wine at a faster rate than if the bottles were aging in a traditional cellar.
Then there’s the Hobie Cat regatta organised by Conserva’s sailing friends at A Pura Vela which takes place every December on Laguna Garzón. A Bodega Oceánica José Ignacio team takes part, and its wine is the drop of choice to celebrate once all the cats have crossed the finish line.
“We try to represent the place where we are,” Constantin reflects. “These are wines to drink by the ocean.”
Two further wine stops in José Ignacio to try:
Alto de la Ballena
In the Sierra de la Ballena mountain range, just 15 minutes from the coast in Punta del Este, this small, boutique vineyard blends the ocean breeze with stony, mountain soils. Guided tours are available, including a picturesque lunch in the vines.
Bodega Garzón
This sleek, sprawling, ultra-modern estate was Wine Enthusiast’s New World Winery of the Year in 2018 and one of only three South American names to make the top 15 of the World’s Best Vineyards 2024. Argentine superstar Chef Francis Mallmann helms the restaurant. There’s even a (members’-only) golf course.
