Wines of Uruguay

I am quite new to the genteel art of wine tasting but I have certainly drunk enough of the stuff to appreciate what is decent and what is not! I am currently living and working in Uruguay and have discovered a number of excellent wines from bodegas in the region: Juanico, Carrau, Toscanini and Irurtia to name but a few. The tannat is the local flagship red varietal and although I struggled with it to begin with (strong tannins etc.) I am now quaffing it regularly. If anyone would like to share their thoughts, observations, opinions on the wines of Uruguay, I would be happy to correspond!

Welcome to this place, friendly folks here. You will be our contact for all things Uruguay! We recently discussed the Picano EtXe, do a search and it will come up. Have fun!

Bob, Thanks for the friendly welcome. I have no idea what a Picano EtXe is (are). Have googled it but no luck just yet. Is it a cut of beef by any chance? Picana (similar to sirloin)? Red meat is big out here and taken unbelievably seriously. Stuart

Keep your eye on the index, i will find it for you now!

Thanks Bob: mystery solved. Pisano XtXe is a desert wine made from tannat. Not too sticky and cloying perhaps?

Way too young for me, I intend to cellar for 5 years. Did you see the Roy Hersh thread on this wine? Do a search on top of the page here, great look for engine!! Just type in "pisano".

I am quite new to the genteel art of wine tasting but I have certainly drunk enough of the stuff to appreciate what is decent and what is not! I am currently living and working in Uruguay and have discovered a number of excellent wines from bodegas in the region: Juanico, Carrau, Toscanini and Irurtia to name but a few. The tannat is the local flagship red varietal and although I struggled with it to begin with (strong tannins etc.) I am now quaffing it regularly. If anyone would like to share their thoughts, observations, opinions on the wines of Uruguay, I would be happy to correspond!

Hi Stuart,

Welcome. I'd love to hear more on the wines of Uruguay although I cannot give any opinions and I've never tasted any. I'm from New Zealand and one of the 'local' winemakers, in the Kumeu region north of Auckland, is growing tannat. He said the climate there is similar to the climate in Uruguay where tannat grows. I think he has picked a couple of crops so far, but it has not been released. He is quite excited about it.
I have tasted another NZ tannat from barrel, from Northland. It was a massive wine, loads of tannins but had impressively vibrant fruit and alcohol to carry it.
The only other tannat I've tasted was from Argentina (Santiago Graffigna Tannat 2002). The tannins were dominant throughout.
Do you drink your tannat fairly young over there, while the fruit is still quite primary - or do you let the wine accrue a little age?

Cheers,
Sue

Hi Sue,

Thanks for the reply. Glad to hear that tannat is being grown and harvested overseas. Wonder whether people in your neck of the woods will like it or not. To be honest, I have no real strong opinions about tannat although, I enjoy it because its inexpensive. It is the rioja of Uruguay and I guess when in Rome.. Yes, strong tannins and chewy in the mouth with not much carry through. Folk here prefer it blended with Merlot which gives the wine greater body and more fruit. Yes, keep it in the bottle for as long as possible is my uninformed, rookie guess! I used to drink some excellent NZ whites when I was in the UK by the way; have forgotten the labels... something Bay?
Stuart

Hello Stuart, Sue and others interested in Uruguay!

Having visited the wine areas of Uruguay a few times, and conducted a series of tastings in the UK for wine clubs last year, I wrote quite a long background piece for Tom Cannavan's Wine Pages site. What has fascinated me about Uruguay and its wines has been the fact that they are - quite obviously in view of geographic position - so utterly different to Chile/Argentina, but also the people in this tiny country, especially those working in wine, are all individualists and really just the most open, kindest .... I could go on, but all wine people are great anyway!

The wines have improved hugely in the past five years, and most importantly, they have learnt various ways of 'taming Tannat'.
Here's the link to the article:
http://www.wine-pages.com/guests/wink/uruguay-wine.htm

Quick correction to the entry on Pisano who do now have representation again in the UK (HWCG/Ellis of Richmond - with one wine in Tesco):
I got my notes down wrong, according to Daniel Pisano, export director - they only have 5% of their production in demi-johns now! (You do still see a lot of these around for the home market).
Also their wines are apparently available in 36 countries!!

Tannat is also grown in Argentina, but except for a few outside examples, its used for blending. I cant say Ive been blown away by any of the varietal Tannats from Argentina, its clear that the old vine reserve Tannats from Uruguay are the clear leaders in this category.

Back when I was still single and went to Punta del Este every summer, I was a regular buyer of some of the best Uruguayan wines... but I admit to having stopped purchasing them after my last visit to Punta in 2003. Some of the best wines Ive had from Uruguay are:

Bodega Carrau - Amat Tannat 1998
Castel Pujol - Tannat de Reserva 2000
Juanico - Preludio Barrel Select - Lote 53 2000
Bodega Carrau - J. Carrau Pujol Gran Tradicion 1998

The wines have improved hugely in the past five years, and most importantly, they have learnt various ways of 'taming Tannat'.
Here's the link to the article:
http://www.wine-pages.com/guests/wink/uruguay-wine.htm

Wink - thanks to the link to your article. Can I ask you almost the same question I asked Stuart. That is, "Do you drink your tannat fairly young, while the fruit is still quite primary - or do you let the wine accrue a little age?"

For what it's worth, here's a link to Tannat tasting note I made a while back: Castel Pujol 2004 Tannat Region Cerro Chapeu (Uruguay), 12.5% alc. by vol., $6.99

Sorry, just realised that I haven't replied to this question.

"Do you drink your tannat fairly young, while the fruit is still quite primary - or do you let the wine accrue a little age?"

As so often in wine, that depends. Some producers are now making a light, fruity version made with a short skin maceration that is for drinking within 2 years of the vintage and usually sold inexpensively. Others are making more expensive Tannat wines, which especially in good vintages with not too much rain (a frequent problem in Uruguay, where vintages vary quite widely) might have ripe but big tannins balanced by a background of rich fruit and all the signs that they can age for 5 - 10 years (not really possible to say with any exactitude as methods have improved so much over the past 5 - 10 years, that potential ageing ability is changing).

Castel Pujol 2004 Tannat Region Cerro Chapeu (Uruguay), 12.5% alc. by vol., $6.99 [/url]

Cannot believe this was only $6.99 - I guess it could have been their entry-level Tannat - the Cerro Chapeu vineyard/winery of Castel Pujol is right up in the north on the Brazilian border, where there is a little more altitude and difference between day/night temperatures. But, as far as I know they are the only decent winery to exploit the potential of the region, partly because it is so far from anywhere (about 400 miles north of Montevideo). Castel Pujol have the resource of having their main winery in the suburbs of the capital, so they can get away with the inconvenience of distance.

The only Uruguayan wine I have had was the excellent Pisano Family Reserve. Unfortunately my source disappeared a few years ago so I am glad to see that Pisano wines are again available in the UK.

IIRC low yields, no chemicals or insecticides in the vinyards and very rich flavoured wines. This Tannat wine was remarkable with powerful, ripe damson fruit, lovely balance, great length and complexity - and excellent value for money.