Association de la Sommellerie Internationale

ASI - Association de la Sommellerie Internationale

5 hours ago

Wine region: Uruguay 🍇🇺🇾

📍Despite being a small country nestled between two South American giants, Argentina and Brazil, Uruguay has been producing wine for more than 150 years. As in many New World wine countries, immigration shaped its wine identity: European settlers brought vine varieties, knowledge, and winemaking traditions that found a new home in Uruguay.🇺🇾

Today, most of the country's vineyards are concentrated in Canelones and Montevideo, yet viticulture extends across several distinct wine regions. Within just a few hundred kilometres, Uruguay transitions from the Atlantic influence of Maldonado and Rocha, where ocean breezes slow ripening and preserve freshness, to the sedimentary landscapes of the south, the river-influenced southwest, and the iron-rich sandy soils of Rivera in the north. Rather than dramatic altitude, Uruguay's diversity comes from subtle differences in topography, soils, exposure, and the influence of the Atlantic Ocean, the Río de la Plata, and the Río Uruguay.🤩

🍇Uruguay's wine history is inseparable from Tannat. Introduced and championed by Basque immigrant Pascual Harriague in Salto during the 19th century, the variety became so closely associated with him that it was long known locally as Harriague. Today, Tannat is produced in a wide range of styles, from vibrant, youthful wines to complex, age-worthy expressions.🍷

🍇Among white varieties, Albariño has become one of Uruguay's fastest-growing grapes and one of its strongest international ambassadors, now planted on nearly the same number of hectares as Sauvignon Blanc. Alongside Albariño, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and Pinot Noir demonstrate the remarkable diversity of contemporary Uruguayan wine.👏

Special thanks to our ASI Bootcamp 2026 participant Karen Fabregat @confesiones_de_una_millennial from Uruguay for compiling the information and few other several resources about her home country: INAVI (national institute for maps and regions/varieties,) Radio Tannat podcast by Martín Viggiano, Fogón – Familia Deicas channel on YouTube, Tim Atkin MW – 2025 Uruguay Special Report, Amanda Barnes MW – South America Wine Guide, Bodegas del Uruguay, and, of course, the Sommelier Association of Uruguay! @sommelieruruguay

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