User:Murgh/Uruguayan wine

Uruguay is .. produce Uruguayan wine.

The fourth largest wine-producing country of South America, after Argentina, Chile and Brazil.

It is widely held opinion that Uruguayan wine production is making considerbable progress.

History
Commercial viticulture was introduced to Uruguay in 1870, after Basques introduced the grape variety Tannat which became known in Uruguay as Harriague, named after Don Pascual Harriague credited with importing the vine. The total Uruguayan plantings of Tannat would eventually surpass that of France. By 1996 the Uruguayan vineyard area was ca. 10000 ha, and by 2003, ca. 11000 ha were under vine.

the largest concentration in the regions of Montevideo, San José and Canelones.

Prior to the mid 1990s the common Uruguayan wine was a deep rose, similar to a Spanish clarete, made from a sweet and astringent blend of Tannat and Muscat Hamburg, with possible additions of the hybrid Isabella. Hybrid grapes have since undergone large scale replacement with more internationally common grape varieties, such as Pinot Blanc (possibly Chenin Blanc), Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot, as well as to a lesser degree Riesling, Gewürztraminer, and Viognier. A national specialty is Vidiella, a variant of Folle Noire.