Decanter: South America’s winemakers take flight
Winemakers in South America are embarking on a new era – one of quiet self-confidence and curious self-discovery, bringing forth some of the most exciting and individual wines yet. Distinctive regional personality is at the core of this new movement and it highlights a strong departure from the varietal – and style-driven wines that dominated […]
SevenFifty: Exploring the wines of Uruguay
Published in SevenFifty.Daily in January 2020 With Tannat and Albariño as lead stars, the country is making some of the most distinctive wines in South America. Nestled between Argentina and Brazil, Uruguay is the fourth-largest wine producer in South America—its output in 2018 was 18 million liters. Although the bonds of tango and carnival link […]
Exploring Montevideo & Canelones in Uruguay
Written for Decanter Magazine, October 2019 Exploring Uruguay and its wine regions feels like you’ve just been let in on one of South America’s best kept secrets. One of the smallest countries on the continent, Uruguay doesn’t have the same bombastic personality as many of its Latin American neighbours but sits as a silent siren […]
Wine festivals in South America
South Americans know how to throw a party, and almost before the first grape has been picked, the harvest is being celebrated with wine festivals across the Southern Cone. Traditionally the fiesta de vendimia (harvest festival) was a small celebration in the villages to celebrate the end of the harvest and a good vintage – […]
Uruguay: More than Tannat, Decanter October 2016
A vast array of soils and terroirs gives this diminutive but plucky nation the tools it needs to forge a strong identity of its own, says Amanda Barnes. And it’s the growing reputation of Uruguay’s white wines that’s grabbing the attention… Read the full article here, Decanter October 2016 Read more on Uruguay on […]
Is Uruguayan Tannat old hat?
Written for Around the World in 80 Harvests The tiny South American country is synonymous with this plucky variety that was first brought to its shores by Basque settler Pascual Harriague in 1870. Since then it has dominated Uruguay’s wine scene, accounting for up to 50% of plantations at its peak. “Why Tannat?”, you might ask. […]
Empanada and Wine Pairing
Written for Grape Collective If there’s one dish that you’ll find in every country in South America, it’s the mighty empanada. It may be fluffy and moist, or crisp and crunchy, bite sized or head sized, baked or fried… whatever texture and filling variation comes your way, these pockets of pastry are a perfect, unpretentious […]
Top 5 wine countries in South America
Written for the Grape Collective, January 2015 Where else in the world can you find glaciers, jungles, extreme deserts, and high altitude mountains all within one continent? South America is a land of extremes and even though the Spanish introduced wine over 500 years ago, it is still a new discovery to many wine drinkers […]
Southern Cone Harvest Report 2013
Written for The Drinks Business With most of Argentina experiencing outstanding quality and Chile encountering one of the strangest harvests in their recent history, this year’s harvest has been remarkable. Across Argentina the flowering period and harvest went by almost without a climatic hitch. In Mendoza, where the sun shines on average more than 300 […]
Q&A: Charlie Arturaola
Written for Wine-Searcher.com Uruguayan Sommelier Charlie Arturaola was picked as Wine and Spirits Communicator of the Year in 2012 and stars in wine film El Camino del Vino among other TV appearances. He’s renowned for his bubbly personality and for having one of the top palates in the industry. What do you see when you […]
