Uruguay. Wine. What?
Isn’t Uruguay that tiny country wedged between Brazil and Argentina? The one with the great beaches and the primo beef? They make wine? Yup. And it‘s a robust wine industry at that. When we first wrote about Uruguay following a 2015 “Tannat Tasting Tour,” the country produced just 10 million cases annually. But between 2015 and 2019 Uruguay’s wine market grew at a compound annual growth rate of 10.02%. So we were delighted to attend another tasting a few weeks ago, sponsored by Uruguay Wine and featuring Amanda Barnes, author of the South America Wine Guide.
See Lisa’s interview with Amanda Barnes.
Way More than Tannat
The 2015 “Tannat Tasting Tour” was just that…a showcase of the red Tannat grape that was Uruguay’s sole calling card. Today, vineyards burst with Cab Franc, Merlot, and Pinot Noir, plus a number of white varietals including Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Albarino, and Sauvignon Blanc.
At the 2022 tasting we were treated to 35 wines from 12 wineries. Set up like a mini wine expo with ample and tasty small bites courtesy of Punch Bowl—a new Brookline restaurant—the tasting was a perfect re-introduction to the wines of Uruguay.
Here are our favorite wines from the tasting.
VinoDuo 