10 reason to discover Uruguay

Squeezed between Brazil and Argentina on the Atlantic coast, Uruguay has mostly flown under the tourist radar - until now. Once dubbed 'the Switzerland of the Americas', it's a welcoming country that has much to offer the travelling wine lover

- AMANDA BARNES

1 Tannat

This thick-skinned, deeply coloured grape variety first arrived in Uruguay from Spain's northerly Basque country in the 1870s. Today it accounts for a quarter of Uruguay's vineyard plantings and is the undisputed king of Uruguayan wine.

Tannat is one of the world's most tannic varieties and nowhere else has mastered it quite like Uruguay. Local winemakers have honed their skills - in both vineyard and winery - to manage these feisty tannins, producing wines of distinction and approachability.

The different regional expressions of Tannat offer an insightful guide to Uruguayan terroir: from the riper, more silky wines of Rivera to the spicier, more refreshing iterations of Maldonado, through to the bolder, more structured Tannat wines of Canelones. There's a surprising variation of styles to discover, too: from unoaked to well-oaked, red to rosé even sweet and sparkling Tannat wines!

2 Its progressive attitude

Uruguay's standing in South America has often been likened to that of Switzerland in Europe - not only because of its relative affluence, but also for its progressive politics and liberal society. Uruguay has one of the highest literacy rates in the Americas, at above 99%, and each child in the country is provided with their own laptop by the state to ensure equal opportunities in learning and computer literacy. It was also the first country in the world to legalise cannabis, the first in South America to legalise abortion and one of the first to allow same-sex marriage.