Atlantico Sur Tannat

The Tannat grapes we use at Atlántico Sur grow in several estates located in Maldonado, Canelones and San José a few kilometres from the coast. The secret of the coastal influence lies in the low temperatures during the grape ripening season in summer. During the day, when the vines are producing photosynthesis and storing nutrients in the grapes, the ripening of the skins and seeds is favoured at temperatures below 33 degrees Celsius. In the skins and seeds are the polyphenolic compounds responsible for the colour and structure of the wine. By ripening quickly, it allows us to harvest early when the grapes have a high content of fresh aromas and balance of sugar and acidity.

As a result, the wines from the Atlantic coast manage to be balanced, with floral, fresh fruit and mineral aromas, with an enveloping texture. Coastal Tannats have such a high concentration of colour on the skins that we can make a short maceration, being very intense the first 2 days and very soft the following days.

In total no more than 7 days of maceration, where the seeds contribute almost no tannins to the wine, the skins being responsible for delivering the tannins and anthocyanins. This technique makes it feasible to harvest really early, when the floral and fresh fruit aromas are at their peak, even though the seeds are not 100% ripe. As tannat has such a high concentration of anthocyanins, the colour of the wine with this technique is still very high. As a reference, if we were to use this maceration on a Merlot, the result would be a rosé wine.