The growers transforming Uruguay’s wine fortunes
Iam standing in a vineyard planted with arneis, nebbiolo, dolcetto and barbera. They might all be Italian grapes, but I am a very long way from their homeland in Piedmont. I am at Bodega Pablo Fallabrino, a small family estate in the cool coastal Atlantida region of Uruguay. Fallabrino is a laid-back self-taught maverick who makes a dynamic range of wines with funky labels, all with a nod to Italy, and was recently voted Uruguay’s Winemaker of the Year by Tim Atkin MW.
“Italy is in my blood,” says Fallabrino. “My grandfather immigrated to Uruguay from Alessandria in Piedmont in 1920 and began making wine in the 1930s.” Pablo’s own passion for Italy means that today almost all of his 12 hectares are Italian grapes, alongside Uruguay’s flagship red tannat and international whites chardonnay and gewurztraminer.
Fallabrino is one of the new generation of Uruguay winemakers proving the potential of this tiny country. Uruguay has under 6,000 hectares, so it's not much larger than St Emilion in Bordeaux.
After the intense summer heatwaves in Chile and Argentina, arriving in Uruguay is a relief. Even in high summer, temperatures nudge 28C with cool easterly breezes (compared to 38+C in Mendoza and Maipo). The landscape in the low coastal hills of Uruguay is lush and green with sea mists swirling in from the Atlantic.
I headed further east along the Atlantic coast into Maldonado region with its cool dry climate, a dynamic region which is now Uruguay’s new wine frontier. Twenty years ago Maldonado had just 20 hectares, now there are 400+ hectares.
I tasted at Japanese/norwegianowned winery Cerro del Toro at Piriapolis where they grow intensely etched chardonnay and rich succulent tannat. The real gem of the Maldonado region is the pioneering winery, Bodega Garzon. In the early 2000s Argentine billionaire Alejandro Bulgheroni was inspired to grow vines, transforming this remote haven into a vast vineyard area.
From Garzon’s stylish modern winery you have a panoramic view of their 247 hectare vineyard, subdivided into 1000 plots with plenty of biodiversity with native forest and palm trees in between. This is arguably the most impressive winery in South America, which has now put Maldonado – and Uruguay – on the map and set the trend for a flood of investment into this region.
The red grapes which work best here in eastern Uruguay are pinot noir and tannat. Like many Uruguayan wines you should expect a gentler, fresher, more delicate style in comparison to the power and extract of other South American wines.
White Arneis-chardonnay 2022 Pablo Fallabrino
Best Value
Floral white blossom note, nutty, waxy fruits, fresh and vibrant £13.99, www.winesofuruguay.co.uk
Single Vineyard Albarino 2023 Garzon
Succulent citric fruit, fleshy mouthfilling peachy ripeness, leesy texture – a big step up from their standard albarino
£28-£30, Luvians; Fine Wine Portobello; Hic!; Crushed & Cured
Singular Chardonnay Fosiles 2022 Cerro Del Toro
Tense high acidity with a saline edge, light spice notes, subtle French oak
£33, www.winesofuruguay.co.uk
Reds
Notos Nebbiolo 2021 Pablo Fallabrino
Fun, juicy fruit blend of 90 per cent nebbiolo with 10 per cent tannat; delicate rose and tar notes, cherry fruits, firm dry tannins £13.99-£16.99, Novel Wines; Lockett Bros; Great Grog; www. winesofuruguay.co.uk
Single Vineyard Pinot Noir 2020 Garzon
Star Buy
Dazzling success; aged 15 months in large old French oak, beautifully balanced with rich red fruits and soft rounded tannins
£23.99, Fine Wine Portobello
Tannat Parcela Unica ‘B26’ 2020 Bouza
Fabulous intensity, integrated tannins, silky mouthfeel; a great vintage in Uruguay
£45, Jeroboams
Dessert Wine Alycone Tannat Nv Pablo Fallabrino
Star Buy
Weird and wonderful blend of Barolo Chinato aromatised style and Marsala type fortification; rich sweetness, dark chocolate, honey, herbs and mint
£21.99 hf bt, www.winesofuruguay. co.uk
Join Rose’s French Classics Dinner at Prestonfield on 16 May, www. rosemurraybrown.com