Wine52 uncovers Uruguay’s Tannat wines and more

Uruguay is not often (or ever) the first place you think of when it comes to wine. Even if you drill down to South American wine, Chilean wines & Argentinian wines are the obvious answers and you’d be forgiven for thinking the only ones. However, South America across the board has a rich winemaking history, driven by European migrants from Spain and Italy. It’s just that Chile and Argentina have a better consolidated industry and better export capability.

The industry in Uruguay is often artisan, family-owned and small-volume - many of the wines made there are produced for just the local area, never mind the rest of the country or overseas consumption. Internationally small they may be, but their wine is just as good as from anywhere else. It is inextricably joined with their culture; they have an annual grape harvest festival, "La Vendimia", which celebrates the bounty of the vineyards with music, dance, and wine tastings. They are also champions of the land, with a great focus on organic wine and biodynamic wine. All this culminates into a wine-making country that cares about quality, culture and the simple pleasures of delicious wine.

The greatest selling point to my mind for Uruguay is their uniquely good production of the red grape Tannat. It is made in France still, particularly in blends from Cahors or the wines of Madiran and is now showing promise in Argentina too. But the country you really go to for it these days is Uruguay. How does it taste? Well, the clue is in the name for this grape. It creates tannic wines with great depth and body and ample of dark fruit, oaky flavours.

Fortunately, my Wine52 free case had both a Tannat and a Tannat/Malbec blend to enjoy. They really do give you an authentic experience!

How were the wines?

Inspiracion Sauvignon Blanc by Establecimiento Juanico

Starting with the white wines were two classic varieties. I kicked off with the Sauvignon Blanc as it was quite a hot day and I had no idea how crisp the Chardonnay would be, given I’ve not had one from Uruguay before. That said, I’ve not had a Sauvignon from here either!

This was made by a winery in which the very first wine fermentations were actually carried out in Uruguay 3 centuries ago by the Jesuits, so it has some heritage behind it. This isn’t your typical New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, rather it has more of a focus on the crisp citrus fruits mixed with herbaceous notes rather than the tropical punch of NZ.

The fruit is ripe and lemony, with zippy sherbet, nettle, orange peel and grapefruit playing a strong backup role. On the undertone is that herbaceous element which brings a good deal of balance and complexity to the flavours. I also felt it had more body than your average Sauvignon which added a lot for me. It gave it greater weight and depth. A good start!

Aca Tranqui Chardonnay by Gimenez Mendez

The next white comes from a winery started by a husband and wife duo in 1991. Although you don’t often see Uruguayan wine from outside the country, they are one of the most successful exporters with a prized reputation. This is a Chardonnay that embraces old world characteristics.

The nose was remarkably clean with strong aromas of peach and other stone fruits, backed up by a mineral streak running in the background. The zippy aromas of green apple, lemon and lime skin gave it some extra zest.

On the palate, it was medium bodied with good intensity and a nice lengthy finish culminating in a slightly oaky note. The stone fruit peach once again takes the top role, but is again boosted by the nice citrus core. A good dollop of acidity imparts a refreshing character perfect for Summer.

Rio del Sur Tannat/Malbec blend by Antigua Bodega

Antigua Bodega are a traditional family run winery now on the 5th and 6th generations. They are part of a sustainable initiative which promotes caring for both people and the environment as well as, of course, the wine itself. If this is your first taste of Tannat, it’s a great build to the next wine in the case. It blends that familiarly delicious Malbec with something even heftier.

The nose ought to immediately give away the power of these two grapes with a heady mix of dark fruits, mocha, coffee and even a faint meaty aroma I couldn’t quite escape. It’s safe to say this is fruit dominant, but there was a nice bit of added complexity here too.

On tasting you’ll find the fruit is super ripe with blueberry, black cherry, blackcurrant and plum. It has a degree of smoky toastiness too alongside noticeable, fine tannin, which help elevate the flavour profile and mouthfeel. Although it may sound pretty hefty, the acidity was actually quite high, which did a brilliant job of balancing it out and kept the palate rather fresh. All in all, this is a great way to expand your grape tasting count in a friendly manner by blending the familiar with the unfamiliar and it is one to get out for your grilled meats on the BBQ!

Esplendor Tannat by Familia Traversa

This is one family focused winery with members running everything from vineyard maintenance, new plantings, marketing and vinification. They are true champions of the environment, employing biodiverse and organic farming methods and gaining certification for sustainable viticulture in 2022.

This is the grape you should be most excited about. Perhaps you haven’t heard of Tannat, or if you have, you may have found opportunities to try it rather elusive. As I said at the start of this review, you can expect tannin!

As the aromas rise from the glass, you do get an immediate sense that this is quite a brooding style of wine with dark fruits and cassis mingling amongst smokey and minty notes.

There’s little surprise that this carries through into the taste itself. Before going too in depth on the flavours, I’d like to say that it is actually remarkably well balanced. Yes, it has depth, high tannin and weight in large doses, but the flavours develop superbly over time which makes it very lively and interesting to hold in your mouth. Blackcurrant, black plum, cassis, chocolate powder, eucalyptus leaf and charred wood all combine in delicious fashion. This is one of my favourite wines from Wine52 to date!

Hurry and claim this case from Uruguay now, if not to expand your horizons and try something new, then to just have excellent wine in your house. And when it only costs the price of postage, you can't complain about that.