Gone to pot, and now ready to climb the grape vine

The opening of Bodega Garzon, a state-of-the-art winery in Uruguay, elevates the country's winemaking to a new level. [Photos Provided to China Daily]

A viticultural minnow is ready to take on its larger vino cousins.

Is that dot of a country called Uruguay in the process of becoming a media darling or what? Recently The New York Times listed one of its wineries as one of 52 must-visit places in the world this year, and a couple of years ago The Economist magazine bestowed on it the title of Country of the Year.

First a bit about that title. The British magazine reasoned that if other countries cared to emulate some of Uruguay's accomplishments - it cited gay marriage and the legalization of the sale and consumption of cannabis - the world might be a better place. The magazine also referred to the country's laid-back president, who, it seems, lives in a very simple house and drives a VW Beetle.

There is the fact too, that Uruguay, the second-smallest country in South America, and with just 3.3 million people, happens to be one of its richest.

Then there is that winery. While Uruguay has much to boast about to its much larger South American cousins, there are at least two fields in which it struggles to come up to muster: football and wine. In the case of the former, the country's best days seem to be behind it, its having won the World Cup decades ago, but struggling to match it with the best these days.

As for wine, many in the industry in the country would no doubt argue that its best days lie ahead, and that was exemplified no better than by the opening of Bodega Garzon in March, a state-of-the-art winery owned by Argentina's richest man, Alejandro Bulgheroni, who also owns wineries and vineyards in his own country, Australia, France, Italy and the United States. It is that winery that had The New York Times gushing as it drew up its top-places-to-visit list.

It is not hard to understand why, when you stand in the winery casting your eyes over the lush, rolling countryside planted with grapes that stretch long into the distance. The winery is located in Garzon, a small town near the southeastern coast about 180 kilometers from the capital, Montevideo, where about half the country's population live.

Not far from the winery is Punta del Este, a stylish resort with top-name shops, restaurants, and a seaport dotted with yachts. This is all part of Agroland, a sustainable agriculture business of 100 square kilometers where cattle are reared and almonds, honey, pecans and extra-virgin olive oil are produced.