With the total vineyard area of about 5,046 hectares, this Uruguayan department is lying just north of the country’s capital, Montevideo.

The Canelones department is bordered by Maldonado and Lavalleja in its eastern side, Florida on its northern side, San José in its western side, and Montevideo in its southern side.

Now, let’s see why it’s being called as the heart of Uruguayan wines by looking at the viticulture of Canelones in detail here…

The wines were produced mainly by the families that occupied the regions surrounding the capital city Montevideo.

This way, it was found that the Canelones region, which is lying close to the capital, was the epicentre of the country’s modern wine industry.

Thus, Canelones became the most important wine region of Uruguay with the majority of country’s viticultural activities being undertaken here.

In Canelones, the climatic conditions are mild and Atlantic in nature. The region is experiencing mild and warm summers and cooler winters.

But, we cannot see any extreme types of climate here. The median annual rainfall is found to be around 1300 mm. The Canelones region is getting a nice ventilating effect from the coastal winds which prevent the vine plants from rot.

The soils of Canelones are found to be rich in clay, which is good for agriculture. Moreover, the region is found to be having diverse types of soils and therefore, some vineyards are having good drainage and some have higher levels of volcanic rocks and weathered granite.

These conditions cannot be found in most other parts of Uruguay outside of Canelones. So, here is another why it is called as the heart of Uruguayan wines.

Wines from Canelón Chico

Uruguay Red Wine

The plantation was found to be successful in Canelones only after a century of experiments. Today, a quarter of the vineyard area in the country is planted with Tannat thus becoming the major cultivation region of Tannat.

Canelones has crossed even the variety’s spiritual home, Madiran of France in the Tannat plantations. This hardy grape variety is found to be performing well every year with good amounts of tannins, colour, and acidity.

Other Grape Varieties in Canelones

The wine producers of the country are trying several types of wines alongside Tannat. Thus, the other major white varieties of Canelones are:

• Pinot Blanc
• Chenin Blanc
• Sauvignon Blanc
• Chardonnay
• Albariño
• Marsanne
• Petit Manseng
• Torrontes
• Riesling

In the red spectrum, the most common varieties are:

• Nebbiolo
• Nero D’Avola
• Zinfandel
• Cabernet Franc
• Cabernet Sauvignon
• Merlot
• Syrah

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