Premium Uruguayan Winery Adds LEED Certification to List of Recent
Achievements, Including Inclusion in Wine & Spirits’ Top 100 Wines 2018,
Top Marks from James Suckling and Named 2018 New World Winery of the
Year by Wine Enthusiast
GARZÓN, Uruguay–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Bodega
Garzón, a boutique winery in the idyllic countryside of Garzón,
Uruguay founded by international vintner Alejandro P. Bulgheroni, is
pleased to announce that it is the first sustainable winery outside
North America to be awarded LEED Silver certification and the first
facility in its entirety including process, hospitality, offices, cellar
and wine club to be one hundred percent LEED Silver certified. The LEED
(Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) rating system, developed
by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), is the foremost program for
buildings, homes and communities that are designed, constructed,
maintained and operated for improved environmental and human health
performance.
Bodega Garzón’s icon wine Balasto, the first wine to be sold by Bordeaux
Negociants, is made in the LEED Silver certified winery. Christian
Wylie, Managing Director, is honored to be showcasing three vintages of
Balasto at the upcoming international wine and spirits exhibition Vinexpo
Bordeaux 2019, as the event’s theme – Shape the Future – is timely.
Bodega Garzón will also be taking part in a symposium the event is
launching that will explore the effects of climate change on the wine
and spirits industries.
Conceived by the acclaimed Argentina-based architecture firm Bórmida
& Yanzón, the 205,000-square-foot winery boasts sustainable
design developed by Bodega Garzón’s director of construction Carlos
Hartmann, architect and sustainability expert (LEED AP). Throughout the
LEED-certification process, the winery received the highest possible
scores in water efficiency and design innovation. Additionally, the
winery is the first to implement innovative wastewater technologies and
is using one hundred percent non-potable water for irrigation. Bodega
Garzón also uses the highest percentage of regional materials and has
exemplary performance in green power as well as public transportation
access, reducing emissions considerably.
Elegantly built into the hills and over natural terraces – a design that
enables the process of gravity winemaking – Bodega Garzón has developed
a biodiverse environment and optimizes energy efficiency with the
largest green roof with native species in Latin America, rainwater
harvesting and reuse, as well as a high-efficiency HVAC with heat
recovery. The modern winery is producing wines celebrated by preeminent
wine critics and establishing itself as a world-renowned destination
furthering sustainability, wine culture and tourism in Uruguay.
“As the first to make wine in the Garzón region of Uruguay, we had a
responsibility to construct something that will have a long-lasting
legacy and that will protect the purity of the surrounding land and
wildlife,” notes Bulgheroni. “I’m extremely proud of my team for
achieving this award and for setting a new benchmark in the wine
industry for sustainable design.”
A leader in innovative design, the state-of the-art winery encompasses
500 acres of vineyards, a production facility, tasting room for visiting
guests, retail space, wine club, and open-fire 120-seat restaurant led
by celebrity chef Francis Mallmann, as well as immaculate caves for
barrel storage, tours, private dining and evenings. It is also home to
Garzón Tajamares Golf, an exclusive 18-hole golf club designed by
Masters and U.S. Open champion Angel Cabrera, as well as The
Garzón Club, South America’s newest private, members-only club. The
design and placement of buildings was carefully planned to allow guests
to immerse in unobstructed views of the surrounding countryside.
In 1999, when Mr. Bulgheroni and his wife Bettina acquired the property
that evolved into Bodega Garzón, they embarked on a journey to create
terroir-inspired, estate-grown and limited-production premium wines with
integrity, concern for biodiversity, and the preservation of natural
resources. Under Bulgheroni’s direction, the winery has pursued LEED
certification and sustainable agriculture and adopted green farming
practices in the vineyards. Influential winemaker and viticulturist
Alberto Antonini oversaw Bodega Garzón vineyard plantings and
development, combining the styles of old-world elegance and new world
energy to craft the estate-grown, limited-production premium wines.
Bodega Garzón’s constant innovation of vineyard practices, varietal
development and winemaking techniques focused on improved wine quality
have recently earned it numerous accolades and accomplishments such as:
-
New World Winery of the Year by Wine Enthusiast Magazine’s Wine
Star Awards 2018 for its innovation and leadership for
Uruguay and its contribution to the world of fine wine. -
Top 100 ranking of Bodega Garzón 2015 Balasto in Wine &
Spirits’ Best Wines of 2018 -
Top 100 ranking of Bodega Garzón 2015 Tannat Reserva in Wine
Spectator -
Best in Show – Best Red Single Varietal for Tannat Single
Vineyard 2015 in Decanter World Wine Awards -
Top recognition by celebrated wine expert James Suckling, for
Balasto 2017 (95 points); Balasto 2016 (94 points); Balasto 2015 (94
points); Albariño Single Vineyard 2018 (94 Points); Petit Verdot
Single Vineyard 2017 (94 Points) and more, see www.jamessuckling.com
About Bodega Garzón
Bodega Garzón is an emergent family estate in the idyllic country of
Uruguay, pioneered by Alejandro P. Bulgheroni that produces
limited-production premium wines from estate-grown, sustainably-farmed
grapes. Unique in the region, Bodega Garzón is leading the charge in
winemaking innovation, varietal experimentation, and sustainability.
Although focused primarily on Tannat, Uruguay’s national grape, Bodega
Garzón works with many other varietals and clones. It is one of the few
producers of Albariño in the country.
Opened in March 2016, Bodega Garzón sets new benchmarks for elegance of
design, modern technology, and sustainable practices. Bodega Garzón is
the first winery outside North America to comply with the strict
requirements set by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC),
and the first winery in the world to earn LEED certification for its
entire facility, including winemaking and hospitality.
Contacts
Glodow Nead Communications
Morgan Moore, Kaetlyn Bartlett and
Marguerite Munoz, 415.394.6500
[email protected]
