More Info for Wine Lovers Recently took this tour with Damian. He met us at the port at 9:45 a.m where we had arrived from Buenos Aires on the Buquebus ferry (an hour and 15 minute trip). The tour price includes Damian’s tour, private transportation by clean car, and a visit to two wineries on the outskirts of the rather charming town of Carmelo, approximately 1 hour from Colonia. Lunch is not included, yet charcuterie plates are provided at both wineries. At the first winery (Irurtia) they were not expecting us (a date mix up), yet moved quickly to accommodate. We visited the cellars with Damian and had a look at the old cars on the property. In the tasting room we were served wines that had been opened (at least) overnight and had been kept in the fridge. They were a bit too cold and the tasting room was cold as well. While this winery has won awards, nothing here stood out, yet perhaps it was the temperature of the wines. The second winery Legado was extremely boutique and a nice property. The wines (reds) were a tannat, a Syrah and a blend. Here the wines were quite good, and the setting was near perfect. The wines themselves were 17$ and 30$ per bottle during my visit with the blend being 30$. We left Legado and made a fast drive back to Colonia where Damian dropped us off in the old town around 2:45 p.m for a look around before walking 5 blocks back to the ferry. I have been on similarly priced tours in other parts of the world where lunch was included and there were more stops/a really full day. That said, for the price of admission I... * got to try Tannat for the first time at a winery * got to see the picturesque Uruguayan countryside when I only had a day to do so. * heard a lot about the history of Uruguay and local winemaking from Damian who is knowledgeable, personable, and open minded. I left wanting to come back. * got to fill my glass of wine straight from a barrel at Legado. (Sure, it was marketing genius, yet I still enjoyed it.) Finally, there are not a lot of wineries near Colonia or competing wine tours. While I find all tour review scores/stars on trip advisor to be skewed too high (perhaps this one included), I hope this review helps someone set expectations and plan for an enjoyable time in Carmelo with Damian and Borravino. …

Secretos Nunca había estado en Colonia y no me lo hubiera imaginado. Marcelo fue un gran guía y nos contó de la historia del país y nos contó mucho acerca del estilo de vida de aquí además de los proceso del vino. Las bodegas Irurtia y el Legado fueron nuestras paradas. Bodegas familiares donde convivimos con los dueños, gente muy amable. Nos contaron de sus bodegas, las cavas que dan ganas de tener una. Buenos vinos acompañados de quesos y fiambres. Lo recomendaría mil y un veces.…

Great Experience Amazing experience! Very easy to book. Damian answered all of our questions and made recommendations on how to get to Colonia from Buenos Aires. The ferry does have a long line so get there early and be prepared to wait in lots of lines. The trip itself is only an hour and the ferry itself on Buquebus is nice enough. Now the wine tour: Andres picked us up from the ferry terminal and the ride to the wineries was about an hour through the Uruguayan countryside. Andres was an excellent guide. We went to two wineries in Carmelo and the highlight was the second winery called Bodega El Legado. Had our wine tasting and charcuterie plate on the patio. It was just what we were looking for in the experience. Highly recommend booking this tour!…

A perfect day wine tasting We took a day trip to Uruguay during our stay in Buenos Aires. After an hour long journey on the ferry from Buenos Aires to Colonia, Damian met my husband and I at the ferry. We embarked on a beautiful drive through the countryside to visit two wineries. We enjoyed the wines and snacks at both wineries. The second winery was absolutely picturesque with its vineyards and nice tasting room. We even got to barrel taste. I would highly recommend this tour. …

Great Day-trip Escape from Buenos Aires! We had an absolutely amazing day touring Carmelo's finest with Borravino! The booking was simple, Damian quickly confirmed our reservation, easily met us at the ferry port, and was a superb guide on our expedition. The drive from Colonia to Carmelo was around an hour, Damian gave us a nice background on the area, grape varietals in Uruguay, developed a keen understanding of our wine preferences to help on the tastings, and was pleasant to get to know. Our first stop was at Familia Irurtia, where the staff took us on a tour followed by a nice tasting of several wines under the trees. Afterwards, we stopped at El Legado, a beautiful boutique vineyard run by Bernardo. It was a very intimate setting, where we had a great tasting including right from the barrel, and finished with a nice stroll around the property. We both felt like we were taking a casual trip to visit family in the countryside away from the hustle and bustle of Buenos Aires. What a great escape! We arrived back in Colonia with plenty of time to have a light afternoon meal (Damian was full of suggestions), and explore the town before getting back on our ferry to Buenos Aires. This was such a great tour, and we highly recommend it to anyone who is looking for a quality day-trip while on business travel to Argentina, enthusiastic visitors to new countries who want a genuine experience, and of course avid wine lovers! Thank you Damian! Logistical Note: We purchased our ferry tickets directly from Seacat ferry (you can do Buquebus as an alternative, its the same boat and leaves from the Buquebus ferry port); the service ran ran round-trip from the port in Buenos Aires to Colonia.…

Fantastic day touring the Carmelo wine region! My husband and I organized a private day-tour with Damian starting in Colonia. Damian picked us up promptly at 10am, and we headed off to the Carmelo region. Our first stop was the Irurtia winery, followed by El Legado. Damian gave us a private tour through both wineries, and…

Perfect Day Visiting Two Beautiful Bodegas/Vineyards My two best friends and I spent the day touring two bodegas, Familia Irurtia & El Legado, with Andres of Borravino Wine Tours. It could not have been a more incredible experience. Andres was communicative before arrival, and created a perfect day. He was knowledgeable and…

If you are looking for a wine tour, this is the one! Damien is a very knowledgeable, passionate tour guide who really knows the wines of Uruguay. This was a very professionally run tour and we had the opportunity to learn about this countries developing wine industry. In addition, this was a very informative tour regarding the…

Carmelo area wine tour from Colonia My husband, son, and I just returned from a fabulous day with Damian of Borravino Wine Tours. Arranging the tour via their website and email was very easy. Damian picked us up right on time at our Airbnb in Colonia. Carmelo is about one hour away. We went to one winery in the…

Personal Uruguay Wine Experience Damian was a fantastic guide both on the day and answering and questions before arrival. He is extremely passionate and knowledgeable about Wine and the wine making process. The Tour was very relaxed and personal we had two winery stops Familia Irurtia and El Legado in Carmelo…