"Uruguay is the fourth-largest wine-producing country in South America. Wine grapes have been grown here for over 250 years... In the past few decades Uruguayan wine has emerged quietly and steadily onto the world wine market, not as dramatically as that of its larger neighbors, but with promising poise and confidence.
No summary of Uruguayan wine is complete without mention of Tannat, the robust, tannic red that has played such a pivotal role in the country's rising wine status. Just as Chile has its Carmenere and Argentina its Malbec, so Tannat has risen to become Uruguay's 'icon' grape... Tannat in all forms has proved well suited to the South American climate – demonstrably better, in fact, than that at the heart of south-west France...
Bordeaux varieties Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc head up the 'dry red wines other than Tannat' category, while their light-skinned equivalents Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc are behind most of Uruguay's modern-style dry whites. Aromatic Viognier is also increasingly popular among Uruguayan vignerons...
The majority of Uruguayan wine is made from vineyards in the south of the country, in the Canelones, Montevideo and San Jose departments." - Wine Searcher
Map courtesy of: Decanter
