Deicas: Our new Uruguayan winery

For those of you with long memories, we have listed a Uruguayan winery before. I guess rather ahead of the curve in that regard but from customer feedback it was clear that the varieties planted in the Uruguay and the styles of wines being made were very well suited to our tastes. 

With this is in mind we're very pleased to introduce you to our new Uruguayan winery, Deicas. 

Familia Deicas was founded in 1979 when Juan Carlos Deicas bought an existing vineyard, Juanico. He had a clear vision and set about making the changes he saw necessary to produce age-worthy wines that could sit at the finer end of the cellar. A total change in vineyard makeup was a good start and a love for Bordeaux saw Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec and Cab Franc being planted alongside Tannat, a Uruguayan star grape. Besides grape selection the vineyard selection was totally overhauled and Deicas now hold some of the finest sites in the Country including the famous Garzon region, Maldonado and even a parcel in Mendoza across the boarder. 

Uruguay is a lowland country, the highest vineyards are still considered low-lying, so the skill is in their choice of sites, coastal influences, and varietal selection. Add to this of course the primary skills required to make great wine - excellence in the vineyard and brilliant winemaking!

To the present day and four members of the Deicas family currently work in the winery including Juan Carlos. Santiago Deicas is their winemaker and since 2010 they have had a consultant winemaker in Paul Hobbs, one of the true greats, and sometimes referred to as the 'Steve Jobs of winemaking'. 

Down to the business of the wines in the glass - We have a flight of their Atlantico wines which are varietal, elegant and well made Pinot Noir and Tannat, a Rose Tannat and an Albarino. Both of these last two grapes are what sets Uruguayan wines apart for their focus on these two, now rather trendy, grape varieties. We also have the Single Vineyard Garzon Corte and a very plush 'Extreme' which has the rarely planted Marselan in it.

The styles of wine are delicious and easy drinking. Despite the use of Tannat in the reds, a usually very tannic grape, the wines have finesse and great balance. There is a freshness here that is very much needed but great to find and the result are wines that will pair with food, but by no means demand it. 

We hope you use the offer in April to try the wines and that you enjoy them as much as we do.