Expert’s choice: Uruguay

Like opening the windows to let in the cool ocean breeze: that has been the effect that new vineyards in Maldonado Bay – the point on the southern coast where the Rio de la Plata estuary meets the south Atlantic – have had on Uruguayan wine. The region now produces whites and reds from vines no more than 20 years old, all influenced by the fresh presence of the Atlantic.

Scroll down for Patricio Tapia’s pick of 18 Uruguayan wines to try

Not only have these newcomers started to overshadow the classic zones, but importantly they have also attracted increased attention to a country that until recently was hidden in the long shadows of Argentina and Chile. These two are the most important wine-producing countries in South America, both in quality and volume. Tiny Uruguay, with a little less than 6,000ha of vines (INAVI institute national data for 2022), has managed to shine.

From the department of Maldonado – from areas such as Pan de Azúcar and, further east, José Ignacio or Garzón – delicious whites emerge, especially perfumed Albariños, but also Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and even Riesling.

The reds show the fresh influence of the sea in their fruity and juicy flavours. Even the fierce Tannat, on the granite soils of Maldonado, seems much more docile and approachable than the prototype of robust Uruguayan Tannat to which we have become accustomed.

Establishing an identity

As well as the particular conditions of the terroir of this region, the influence of the actors involved here is also significant. Bodega Garzón has been a key player when it comes to showing these new wines to the world. But producers such as the Deicas family and Bouza have also contributed outstanding wines to this new stage in Uruguay.

Maldonado accounts for barely 7% of the total area of vineyards planted in Uruguay. Even so, the vines and the wines they produce work as the perfect gateway to discover the rest of what Uruguay has to offer.

Canelones, with 66% of the planted area in 2022, is the largest and most traditional area in the country. Here the clay and chalky soils offer much more austere and monolithic versions of Tannat – wines that perhaps lack the fruity explosion of their Maldonado counterparts, but which still develop in the bottle like few other reds in South America. For the best Canelones examples, go for reds from the Las Violetas area – the epitome of that fierce Uruguayan Tannat.

In addition, Canelones can offer Tannats with a price-to-quality ratio that matches the best in South America, as well as silky and succulent whites. In fact, the first Albariño in Uruguay was created by Bouza using grapes from Canelones and from neighbouring Montevideo – another source of delicious reds and whites. That was back in 2004, when Uruguay was hidden in a corner of South America. Today, its wines are gradually moving up to join the top ranks in the region.

See Patricio Tapia’s pick of 18 Uruguayan wines

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