Narbona: In the Era of Wining and Dining

Rays from the setting sun spill through the cracked windowpane of an open garage. The tiny dust particles catch in the soft light, swirling ethereally around cars used in the time of our great grandfathers. Phonographs, paraffin lanterns, antique water pitchers, wooden wheel barrels: time appears to have stopped long ago.

But it’s still 2008 and one of Uruguay’s oldest estancias near the town of Carmelo is in its sixth year running as a refurbished luxury bed and breakfast.

The estate dates back to 1732, when an esteemed Spanish architect built the nearby Narbona chapel. In the early 1900s Italian immigrants moved in, bringing with them European vines and the tradition of making delicious cheeses. In 2002, owner and developer Pacha Canton had the vision to refurbish and bring back to life the historic estancia. He found some of the best interior designers, staff, and cheese and wine makers to emulate the life and flavours of the early 1900s.

The rooms’ adornment of crystal chandeliers, plush white cushions, and simple elegance borrowed from another time is important, but it’s the spectacular food that sets the place apart from just another upscale boutique hotel. Behind the scenes of the relaxing, elegant bed and breakfast, there are people artfully making fresh pastas, smooth cheeses and Tannat. The cuisine of Narbona is what makes the place so interesting, with a history behind each delicious morsel and glass of wine.

The view from the two guest rooms overlooks Narbona’s greatest asset: the vineyards. Nine hectares of the emblematic Uruguayan grape, Tannat, stretch out over the rolling hills into the horizon. While Narbona does produce a Viognier and Pinto Noir, its Tannat is arguably the best.

Carmelo is one of Uruguay’s biggest wine producing regions and its wines have special characteristics due to it’s unique geographic location. It is located just two kilometres from Punta Gorda, where the Río de Uruguay ends and the Río de la Plata begins. The temperature of the Río de la Plata at this latitude is significantly warmer than anywhere else due to the proximity of the Río Paraná estuary, which brings warm water from the centre of South America.

While Tannat grapes are picked in the middle of March in other parts of Uruguay, they are not picked until the end of the month in Carmelo due to the warmer river temperatures. These extra 15 days allow the fruits to further mature, thus producing wines of higher quality.

Other factors of course play a part in distinguishing the Tannat in Narbona to those of others, from the calcite rich soils to the deeply rooted tradition of hand picking the grapes.

Uruguay, the small country that it is, is actually the world’s largest producer of the grape. Originally from the south-west of France, it grows well in South American soil. Even though it best pairs with Uruguay’s favourite food, beef, Narbona’s infamous parmesan cheese can hold its own against the rather tannic, deeply coloured red wine.

Jorge Jaen, a master cheesemaker, has been working at Narbona since its conception and before then he made cheese with his uncle for 20 years. Each day, about 3,000 litres of milk are taken from the 100 cows on the property and made into fine quality mozzarella, colonia and parmesan cheese.

The parmesan cheese from Narbona has a unique flavour because unlike most, it is guarded in the cooling rooms for four years. Technically parmesan cheese can be stored for just 10-12 months and even most other high quality parmesan cheeses in Argentina are only stored for two years. The extra time sitting on a shelf in a temperature-controlled room intensifies the hard Italian cheese’s pungent flavour and flaky texture.

For those interested Mr Jaen, or his apprentice, will give tours of the tambo. One can see the hoses that pump the milk fresh from the cows, the sterilised rooms where the fermentations are added to make the different cheeses and the salt baths where the cheeses bob around for days on end. The tour ends with a tasting in the storage rooms where the smell from the rounds and rounds of maturing queso is so intense it’s almost intoxicating.

Back in the restaurant’s kitchen, the chefs pair the cheeses with their culinary soul mate: fresh pastas. Egg fettuccines, ham and ricotta stuffed sorrentinos or spinach and cheese canelones – nothing is more delicious than hearty servings of homemade pasta with freshly grated parmesan cheese fit for an Italian king.

The menu at the restaurant is simple – pasta dishes, platters of meats and cheeses or salads straight from the organic garden – yet decadent, very much in tune with the rest of Narbona.

Be forewarned, Narbona requires more than a backpacker’s change purse. For more information or to make reservations check out www.fincanarbona.com.