Theme: 2012 to Now | They make wine there?! | Uruguay
Featured Wine: Alto de la Ballena Tannat Blend
Note about Tannat:
Tannat is a deeply colored, thick skinned grape variety that originated in the French regions Madiran and Irroulèguy. Wines made from Tannat are typically savory, and seriously structured with high tannin and high acidity. For this reason, we have opted to feature a red blend rather than a varietal wine.
About the region:
It is believed Basque immigrants brought the grape variety from France to Argentina and then to Uruguay around 1870. “At present, Uruguay is the only producer in the world where there are significant quantities of this variety in relation to its total area of vineyards – and with a production that exceeds even that of its place of origin, adapting like no other to the local soil and climate.” https://uruguay.wine/en
The Maldonado region is positioned on the 34ºS parallel on Uruguay’s Atlantic coast. Lower temperatures and higher elevation allow for a longer maturation period, with which, tannat thrives!
https://uruguay.wine/en/uruguay/