Wines from Uruguay affordable, delicious and distinct

WHEN IT COMES to wine from South America, two countries often steal the spotlight — Argentina and Chile.

But they’re not the only places where you can find outstanding wines.

Just east of the Rio De La Plata River, about a two-hour ferry ride from Buenos Aires, you’ll find Uruguay, a charming country famous for its quiet beaches, delicious beef and passionate football fans. (That’s soccer here in North America.)

Personally, I’ll never forget watching a football match on a portable television set up on a food truck in Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay in 2005. The beef was outstanding. The nearby sandy beach was stunning. And so was the red wine I bought at a corner store a block away.

That was the first time I had wine from Uruguay. The wine was earthy, robust and rich. I also paid less than $5 for that great bottle of wine. Instantly, I was hooked.

This week, you can learn all about wines from Uruguay, along with tasting notes for six red Uruguayan wines. And if you can’t find these specific wines, I highly recommend trying any red wine made with tannat grapes from Uruguay, which often cost less than $20 a bottle in many stores.

Hope you enjoy.

Wine history

While we might not hear a lot about wines from Uruguay, they have been produced for more than a century and a half. Specifically, immigrants primarily from Spain and Italy started making wine in Uruguay in the mid 1800s, according to Uruguay Wine, the country’s official wine association.

Since then, the number of winemakers in Uruguay has grown to more than 180 wine producers throughout the country. Collectively, they make roughly 10 million cases of wine each year. Not bad for a country roughly the size of Wisconsin.

Wine regions

Uruguay has roughly 15 distinct wine regions scattered throughout the country. Like Bordeaux in France, most of Uruguay’s wine regions can be found near the coastline of the Atlantic Ocean. This might explain why many of Uruguay’s wines have a soft, Bordeaux-like flavor.

By far, the biggest and most important wine region in Uruguay is Canelones, not far from Uruguay’s capital,

Montevideo. Canelones produces roughly 60% of Uruguay’s wine. The other major wine-producing regions in Uruguay include: Montevideo, especially just north of the city near the Canelones region; and San Jose, which is located just west of Montevideo along the Atlantic Ocean.

Common grapes

Any discussion of Uruguayan wine needs to start with talking about tannat. Roughly one-third of all wines produced in Uruguay feature this distinct red wine grape. Specifically, Uruguay has 3,892 acres of tannat vineyards. And odds are if you have ever tasted a wine made with tannat grapes, that wine came from Uruguay.

Along with tannat, the other most popular red grapes in Uruguay include: Merlot, which accounts for 1,532 acres of vineyards in Uruguay; cabernet sauvignon (833 acres of vineyards); cabernet franc (534 acres); and Marselan (469 acres).

As for white wine grapes, region has a soft, smooth, mellow finish straight out of the bottle. Moments later, those flavors become even softer and lighter with hints of plum and cherry. A delicate, delightful red wine.

• 2020 Bodegones Del Sur Cabernet Franc Vineyard Select ($15 SRP)

Made entirely with cabernet franc grapes, this flinty, dry red wine from Juanico in the Canelones region proves that Uruguay can make great red wines with more than just tannat grapes. This wine’s flinty flavors quickly smooth out but still have a slight pepper-like finish and soft flavors that slowly build over time in the glass. Absolutely delightful.

• 2018 Pisano RPF Tannat ($24 SRP) the three most popular ones in Uruguay are sauvignon blanc (327 acres of vineyards); chardonnay (267 acres); and Albarino (235 acres).

Tasting notes

• 2020 Gimenez Mendez Alta Reserva Tannat (Suggested Retail Price $18)

Made with Uruguay’s signature tannat grape, this red wine from the Canelones

Another soft, subtle red wine made with tannat grapes, this wine shows why this particular grape often gets blended with cabernet sauvignon or cabernet franc grapes. Like those two grapes, tannat has an elegant, velvet-like finish. This particular one slowly builds in intensity the longer it sits in the glass. Simply delicious.

• 2018 Alto De La Ballena Reserva Tannat Viognier ($24 SRP)

A blend of tannat and viognier grapes, this lively red