Bodega Garzón is more than just a winery. It is an experience.
When Alejandro Bulgheroni and his wife Bettina discovered Garzón, they had a family dream came true: to have the most emblematic winery of modern viticulture in Uruguay and premium wines with an intense personality and a deep sense of belonging to the land.
With the advice of international oenologist Alberto Antonini, they apply their philosophy focused on producing wines that are a true expression of their origins. Experts on viticulture, environmental care, gastronomy, hospitality and tourism complete a team committed to this unprecedented project.
There are many factors that make Bodega Garzón’s vineyards so unique. Close to the Uruguayan Atlantic coast and 160 meters above sea level, the vine was planted in a privileged native land imprinting a unique, inimitable personality on its grapes which, along with a temperate weather and the organic practices developed in plantations, allows for each wine to reflect the authentic personality of the Garzón terroir.
Alberto Antonini
Alberto Antonini is an Italian oenologist and grower-producer and a consultant to a large number of wineries in various countries including Italy, Spain, Portugal, the U.S., Argentina, Canada, Chile, Uruguay, Armenia, Australia and Israel.
Alberto Antonini was born in Empoli near Florence, Tuscany, on June 10, 1959. His education includes a Doctorate in Agricultural Studies from the University of Florence, and an oenology degree in Bordeaux and at the University of California, Davis.
He lives with his wife Alessandra and their three children Angelica, Margherita and Carlo on his family estate “Poggiotondo” in Cerreto Guidi (near Florence in Tuscany). His career after his university studies started as an assistant winemaker at Frescobaldi Winery and then as technical director at the Col D’Orcia Winery in Montalcino. Afterward he was named Head Winemaker at the Antinori Winery before starting his own consulting business in 1997. In 2013 “The Drink Business” Magazine ranked him among the Top 5 Wine Consultants in the world, and in 2015 “Decanter” Magazine ranked him again in the top 5 Wine Consultant in his professional category.
He is cited as a key player in helping Argentine Malbec wines gain international appreciation and reputation. He is also playing an important role in helping and encouraging wine producers in different viticultural regions to overcome the colonization of the Bordeaux recipe and go back to traditional, indigenous grape varieties and local winemaking techniques, focusing on authentic, pure, terroir-driven wines. His mission is to give a small contribution towards making the world of wine wider, more diverse and more interesting of it is now.
Christian Wylie
Based in Garzon, Christian Wylie is responsible for the entire winery and all aspects of its operations – production, winemaking, viticulture, marketing, sales management, hospitality, and tourism activities. As Managing Director, Wylie brings nearly twenty years of wine industry experience along with additional business management skills.
Wylie has an impressive track record with family-owned and managed businesses, including senior leadership roles at Carolina Wine Brands in Chile and Establecimiento Juanico from Uruguay. He holds an agricultural engineering degree with a specialization in fruiticulture and enology from the Catholic University of Chile. He also studied at the University of California at Davis, and completed a post-graduate senior management program at the ESE Business School in Chile.
One of Wylie’s passions is traveling the globe. Bringing food, wine, and different cultures together is the epitome of his new role at Bodega Garzon as the winery leads the charge for the emerging Uruguayan wine industry. Being situated at the nexus of the active lifestyle with Jose Ignacio and Garzon, Wylie and his family are excellent representatives of the region.
Francis Mallmann
World-famous chef, Francis Mallmann, provided his advice to develop the open-flame cooking technique and develop a Market Menu. In a Market Menu, chefs only select the best products of the day or the season, using fresh, local, ingredients that reflect the spirit of each season and enhance the local flavors.
Francis Malmann’s fires techniques take place in the restaurant’s kitchen, as well as in the different events organized by the winery in Pueblo Garzón and the region.
Francis Mallmann was born in Acassuso, Buenos Aires Province in 1956. In 1958, he moved to Bariloche in Patagonia when his father was employed as the head of the Balseiro Institute. It was there where Mallmann started working as a cook on a boat for tourists on Lake Nahuel Huapi in 1970. At the age of twenty, he began managing a restaurant with a partner. He then travelled to Paris, where he spent over two years learning alongside Alain Chapel and other reputable chefs.
After returning to Argentina, he spent several years driving the kitchen of a fashionable restaurant. In 1983, he decided to open his own restaurant on Honduras street in Palermo. It was open only at night and behind closed doors.
Mallmann owns multiple restaurants in Mendoza, Buenos Aires, Uruguay, Miami, Chile, and France.