Uruguay
Maritime, humid
A small South American producer of Tannat, brought from the French Basque country in the 1870s, in an Atlantic climate that makes softer wines than its origins in Madiran.
Overview
About Uruguay
Uruguay's vineyards are concentrated in the south, near Montevideo and the Río de la Plata, with newer plantings moving towards the Atlantic coast. Tannat, its national grape, was introduced in the 1870s by the Basque immigrant Pascual Harriague, and is now made in a more supple style than at home in Madiran.
Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Albariño and Marselan are also grown.
Where is a grape grown?
Hover a marker to see what's grown there, and click it to open that place. On a touch screen, tap once to preview and again to open. Bigger markers have more grapes linked to them.
Uruguay
The land
Climate & terroir
Climate
Maritime, humid
Mild, humid, and influenced by the Atlantic and the Río de la Plata. Rain in late summer and autumn is the main challenge.
Terroir & soils
What the vines grow in
Clay and clay-limestone soils, on gentle hills, with granite and schist inland.
Within Uruguay
Regions
Canelones
The department just north of Montevideo, where most of Uruguay's vines grow, and the home of its best-known Tannat.
Colonia
The wine country along the Río de la Plata, home of one of Uruguay's oldest wineries and a short ferry ride from Buenos Aires.
Maldonado
Uruguay's Atlantic-coast wine country, behind Punta del Este, where granite soils and ocean air give fresh Albariño and finer Tannat.
What's grown here
Grapes
Grapes linked to Uruguay or to a place within it. Each grape's page links back here.