Montevideo taxi tour and winery

[2morrow]

Does anyone know if it is easy to get a taxi van for 6 people at the port and do a city tour? If so what would the cost be?

 

I was also wondering if it is possible to go to Bouza Bodega Winery on our own and do the tour and tasting?

Thanks

Barb

[MightyQuinn]

Doing a combo of city tour & winery is a fairly typical option for Montevideo & you should have no problem setting it up. We also considered Bodega Bouza but decided to do a private tour & tastings at Varela Zarranz instead. We were met at the ship by a driver & transported by mini-van to the winery about 1-hr from Montevideo. Upon arrival, we were met by Magdalena, a most gracious & knowledgeable hostess who is also a trained sommelier. Our tour began in the vineyards where Magdalena told us about the various grapes. Then we continued into the production plant which was an interesting mix of modern techniques and traditional wine-making. After the tour, we were welcomed into a beautiful tasting room where we sampled 3 different wines along with artfully-arranged meat & cheese platters. Our tour & tastings including round-trip transportation was $30 pp (in March/09). There was also a full lunch option for slightly higher price.

 

The entire excursion at the winery took about 2½ hr & then we were transferred back to the pier in Montevideo. On the route back, the driver pointed out several highlights, but it was Sunday & many of the principal buildings were closed. We still had enough time to explore Mercado Puerto, have a taste of beef asado & do a little souvenir shopping. Everyone agreed it was a spectacular day.

[jelayne]

Doing a combo of city tour & winery is a fairly typical option for Montevideo & you should have no problem setting it up. We also considered Bodega Bouza but decided to do a private tour & tastings at Varela Zarranz instead. We were met at the ship by a driver & transported by mini-van to the winery about 1-hr from Montevideo. Upon arrival, we were met by Magdalena, a most gracious & knowledgeable hostess who is also a trained sommelier. Our tour began in the vineyards where Magdalena told us about the various grapes. Then we continued into the production plant which was an interesting mix of modern techniques and traditional wine-making. After the tour, we were welcomed into a beautiful tasting room where we sampled 3 different wines along with artfully-arranged meat & cheese platters. Our tour & tastings including round-trip transportation was $30 pp (in March/09). There was also a full lunch option for slightly higher price.

 

The entire excursion at the winery took about 2½ hr & then we were transferred back to the pier in Montevideo. On the route back, the driver pointed out several highlights, but it was Sunday & many of the principal buildings were closed. We still had enough time to explore Mercado Puerto, have a taste of beef asado & do a little souvenir shopping. Everyone agreed it was a spectacular day.

 

Do you recall the name or have contact information on for the tour operator? Sounds like a good way to spend part of our 2 days in Montevideo.

[MightyQuinn]

Do you recall the name or have contact information on for the tour operator?

We dealt directly with the winery thru their sommelier, Magdalena, at info@varelazarranz.com. They're not a tour operator per se, but they worked out an itinerary & organized transport/driver for us. Our focus was on wine-tasting rather than sightseeing but I'm sure Magdalena would work something out to meet your needs.