Market Watch, November 2019

72 MARKET WATCH MARKETWATCHMAG COM NOVEMBER 2019Franc blend 15 a 750 ml in addition to a 100 Tannat and a 100 Marselan Alto de la Ballena has capitalized more aggressively on Tannat led blends in the U S seeing the greatest popularity for its Tannat Merlot and Cabernet Franc blend 17 a 750 ml as well as for the higher end Tannat Viognier Reserva 23 which features 90 Tannat and 10 Viog nier For winery owner Alvaro Lorenzo dispelling confusion about Uruguayan Tannat versus its French counterpart is key in attracting consumers in the first place Our main draw back is peoples lack of knowledge about Uruguay and even the fact that its a wine producing country says Alto de la Ballena owner Alvaro Lorenzo For people who know Tannat as its produced in France its important they under stand that they can expect more approachable Tannats from Uruguay which have more fruit and lighter tannins Alto de la Ballena exports some 25 of its total production Perhaps most successfully introducing a wider swath of American consumers to Uruguayan Tannat and the countrys wine industry overall is Bodega Garzón Located just east of posh resort town Punta del Este in Uruguays Maldonado appellation Garzón is the crown jewel in the Bulgheroni Wine portfolio Though relatively new Garzón has already won critical acclaim for both itself and Uruguay as a whole Its Tannat Uruguay Reserva 2015 17 a 750 ml ranked 41st on Wine Spectators Top 100 Wines of 2017 making it the first Uruguayan offering ever on the list The winery launched with just 10000 cases in its inaugural year but production has since skyrocketed and theres plenty of runway for additional growth according to managing direc tor Christian Wylie In four years weve gone from 10000 cases to 110000 cases he says And we have the potential to reach 250000 cases over the course of the next couple of years Wylie notes that while marketing Tannat is import ant plenty of challenges remain in reaching U S consumers The problem with Tannat is that its historically known as a beast of a grape extremely tannic he says The first thing we tell consumers is that the coastal influence and the granite soil at Garzón make Tannat juicy and round with soft tannins and natural acidity In the U S which is Garzóns No 1 export market growth is primarily driven by three wines Tannat Single Vineyard 30 a 750 ml Pinot Noir Rosé 19 and Albariño Reserva 20 though the Tannat Reserva Cabernet Franc Petit Clos and Balasto a blend of Tannat Cabernet Franc Petit Verdot and Marselan are also increasing the winerys visi bility abroad Garzón has leaned especially hard into its Albariño as of late today the winery owns around 90 of all Albariño planted in South America and plans to continue championing the grape moving forward International Varietals IncomingAlbariño is also an important part of the lineup at Bodega Bouza a family owned winery situated in Montevideo Uruguays capital Albariño has long been one of our key offerings being that we produced the first iteration of the grape from Uruguay says Cristina Santoro communications manager at Bouza She adds that in addition to Albariño Uruguays ocean influence lends itself to unique iterations of Tempranillo and Merlot which Bouza uses in both a Tempranillo Tannat blend 30 a 750 ml as well as Monte Vide Eu 60 a blend of Tannat Merlot and Tempranillo among other wines Bouza currently exports around 2200 cases to the U S annu ally with total production coming in at roughly 12500 cases In emphasizing international grapes and not focusing solely on Tannat Bouza is looking to grow its presence on the global stage Consumers from outside of Uruguay usually start with Tannat but its important to have international grapes on offer says Santoro Fortunately Uruguay has great conditions for inter national varietals like Merlot and Albariño and outside markets are becoming aware of that Familia Deicas vineyards top barrel cellar above has recently been exploring Uruguays more extreme growing conditions through its Extreme Vineyards lineup The new range features grapes that are grown in unusual settings such as planted directly over mother rock