“2021 was wet. It was a classic that examined the terroir and expertise, however the water was shortly drained in our granitic winery,” Wylie stated. “There was a number of rain in February, and we may see the albariño’s tolerance of humidity, similar to in Galicia. We have been stunned to search out how balanced it was, with one diploma decrease alcohol. You possibly can really feel the acidity with much less tropical fruit however extra white fruit and minerality.”
Boido, the Bouza winemaker, considers 2021 a great classic in respect to the event of the grapes, with some rain falling originally of the harvest. “It was onerous for riesling, so we didn’t harvest it, however we had excellent albariño and chardonnay,” he stated. “It was a protracted harvest for the reds, the place we began early and completed late, particularly with merlot and tempranillo.”
Rain, which falls to the tune of 1,100-1,200 millimeters a yr in Uruguay’s grape-growing areas, is an important issue that weighs on the standard and remaining model of the wine. “The grapes that want a dry local weather don’t fairly succeed right here,” Wylie stated.
It additionally is determined by the timing of the rainfall and the way nicely the terroir drains the water. At Bodega Garzon, the traditional, decomposed granitic soil on the slopes supplies glorious drainage, which supplies what Wylie calls “a catch-22 terroir” – with a lot rain slipping away, they typically want to show to irrigation.
