Charlemagne
Wine Club - 2007 Tastings
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Monday 15th October 2007 Uruguay presented by Wink Lorch Uruguay is not normally the first name that springs to mind when one thinks of wine producing countries. However, this is not a new producing region - the first grape vines arrived in Uruguay from Spain in the middle of the 17th century and documentary evidence of their existence in Uruguay exists from 1776. Uruguay's rolling plains play host to a climate not unlike that of Bordeaux and the regions are well suited to the European style of wines produced from the classic French varieties. Uruguay’s vineyards amount to around 10 thousand hectares, cultivated by about 270 wine producers. Wink has been to Uruguay three times in the past five years. The tasting will present an overview of Uruguayan wines with a selection from six wineries that are amongst the best exporting wineries. There will be 3 whites and 5 reds, with an emphasis on Tannat and Tannat blends for the reds. Uruguay has certainly come of age in the past few vintages with improved vineyard management and better understanding of modern winemaking techniques, so this should be an interesting look at an up-and-coming little wine country. Most of the wines are available in the UK, albeit not necessarily from mainstream retailers. Wink recently published an article about Uruguay on Wine Pages, see www.wine-pages.com/guests/wink/uruguay-wine.htm |