Tannat
Also known as Harriague
Madiran, France
One of the world's most tannic red grapes: deeply coloured and austere in Madiran, softer and fruitier in Uruguay, where it is the national grape.
Sensory profile
Characteristics
Flavor & aroma
At a glance
Production facts
Prevalence
Niche
Climate
Warm climate
Ripening
Late season
Wine styles
Still
Where it's grown
Geography
Shaded areas are the state, province or département(s) containing each region, so they run wider than the appellations themselves.
France
Uruguay
Uruguay
Background
Origin & History
Tannat has long been the leading grape of Madiran in south-western France, where its very high tannins and colour produced wines that needed years to soften. The growers of Madiran later developed micro-oxygenation to tame it, a technique now used far beyond France.
A Basque immigrant, Pascual Harriague, planted it in Uruguay in the 1870s, and it is now that country's national grape, made in a rounder, more fruit-driven style that is also sold as Harriague.
Lineage
Family tree
Parentage not recorded — Tannat is an old variety of unknown origin.
No crossings involving Tannat are documented in the collection yet.