The emergence of a new Uruguayan wine industry

• Autores: Francisco M. Carrau
• Localización: Journal of wine research, ISSN 0957-1264, Vol. 8, Nº 3, 1997, págs. 179-192
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • Although the traditional wine industry of Uruguay is virtually unknown in the international wine market, wine sales are now increasing in some of the most important markets of Europe and North America. Because of strong domestic consumption and a quiescent R&D situation in recent decades, the pioneer vision of high quality that was bom in the 1880s was not realised. The strategy of promoting the typical grape Tannat (Harriague), best known for making high‐quality Madiran reds in southwest France, is starting to result in successful competitive reds which are only found in Uruguay. This paper presents a summary of the history of the Uruguayan wine industry, beginning with the first Tannat vines planted in the 1870s by the Frenchman Harriague, who with a British family developed the most technically advanced winery of those days, including a bacteriological laboratory. With the programme of training for winemakers and the recently started R&D projects in the University of the Republic, it is hoped that the Uruguayan wine industry, based on quality wines at a good price, will continue opening markets and reach its target of 300 000 cases by the year 2000. The country could occupy an interesting position within the quality wines of the Mew World in the near future.