Hotly attended by over 80 trade attendees, including sommeliers, journalists and buyers, the masterclass led by The South America Wine Guide author Amanda Barnes focused on exploring the ‘wild side’ of Uruguay and the great diversity of styles, regions and grape varieties on offer.

Diving into the white wines of Uruguay, the tasting masterclass started with the low abv, flor-aged Sauvignon Blanc of Michelini i Mufatto, before a fascinating terroir comparison between Familia Dardanelli’s Albariño from Canelones and Bizarra’s ‘dark side’ Albariño from Maldonado. Similarly, two Rieslings offered a compelling comparison of terroirs too — Los Cerros de San Juan’s Riesling from Colonia and Bouza’s Riesling from Pan de Azucar in Maldonado.

Looking into the more experimental and low intervention wine styles emerging in Uruguay, the next wines in the line up included the Pet Nat Torrontés of Viña Progreso, and Bodega Cerro Chapeu’s Castel Pujol Folklore blend of Trebbiano and Malvasia from Uruguay’s northeastern region of Rivera.

Moving into an exciting spectrum of coastal red wines, the masterclass dived into the growing popularity of Marselan with Viña Edén’s striking ‘Cemento’ line, and unlocked the potential of Uruguayan Cabernet Franc with the Reserve line from Bodega Garzón. A blend of Cabernet Franc, Marselan and Syrah from Finca Las Violetas not only embraced blending varieties but also terroirs — including fruit from Colonia, Canelones and Maldonado.

Last, but not least, was a deep dive into Tannat with top wines from the Spinoglio and Pisano families — showing Diego Spinoglio and RPF Tannat respetively, and a chance to see two different approaches within Canelones. The grand finale was Tannat from a completely different angle… the aromatic and punchy Tannat vermouth made by the team at Vermut Flores. Served on ice, it was a sweet and refreshing way to finish an action-packed exploration of Uruguay’s wine scene.