Sunshine and fine wine in Uruguay

After the wild ride of Brazil it was a welcome change of pace to land in South America's sleepy little seaside village, Uruguay. We were here for two things - the beaches and the wine, and we found plenty of both.

The first stop was the capital, Montevideo, which had a quaint, stuck in the '80s vibe (think rollerskating, bowling alleys and pinball machines). The beach was not all that appealing, but the impressive 22km boardwalk (the world's longest) that ran along it made for some lovely walks and the eating was great. But it was in Punta del Este, famed as a playground for the continent's rich and famous, that I began to understand Uruguay's appeal. Here, long stretches of stunning white sand are largely empty of people and are dotted with upscale bars and restaurants where you can lounge away an afternoon with a bottle of some of the world's best wine and watch the sun set over the Atlantic (which we did, several times). Much of this wine comes from bodegas hidden in the hills behind the coast, and we toured the most famous of them, Garzón, on one particularly beautiful day. A magnificent complex of working vineyard, cellar door and restaurant, and the wines were universally delicious. But, based on my devoted attempts to try as many wines as possible while in the area, I've discovered the general rule is: should you ever see Uruguayan tannat on a wine list, order it. Especially if you are also ordering steak. Punta del Este is also home to a bizarre vanity project for Uruguayan artist Carlos Páez Vilaró. It is an enormous, 13 floor, Gaudi-esque villa, housing an art gallery and hotel. The art was interesting, but the sunset stole the show.

The final days in this charming country were spent in Colonia del Sacramento, an old Portuguese settlement offering small wine bars on its cobblestoned streets, as well as direct access via ferry to this corner of the continent's star attraction - so stand back, Buenos Aires, because you're up next!