Why Uruguay matters
Small, green and humid, Uruguay is South America’s fourth-largest wine producer — and the world’s standard-bearer for one grape: Tannat.
- Basque immigrants brought Tannat from south-west France in the 1870s.
- Uruguay’s humid, Atlantic-moderated climate is unlike Argentina’s high desert.
- A cool coastal wave (Maldonado) is now making saline Albariño and finer Tannat.
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Key idea: Tannat
Originally from Madiran in France, Tannat is one of the most tannic grapes on Earth. Uruguay’s sun and humidity round it out into deep, structured but balanced reds.