Tannat

Tannat is a Vitis vinifera variety with blue-black-skinned berries. It is originally from southwest France, though some sources trace its deeper roots to the Basque Country of the western Pyrenees. Its parentage remains unknown. In Uruguay it is widely known as Harriague, after the Basque settler Pascual Harriague, who helped establish it there in the 1870s.

In France it is the dominant grape of Madiran and is authorised in Béarn, Irouléguy, Tursan and Cahors. Uruguay has adopted it as the national grape and is home to the largest plantings outside France. It is also grown in Argentina, Brazil, South Africa, the United States, Australia, Italy and Portugal.

The grape is naturally rich in polyphenols (tannins and colour compounds), giving wines an intense purple hue and a firm, astringent structure. French Tannats are deep, tannic and often blended with Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc or Fer; barrel ageing and micro-oxygenation (controlled oxygen during fermentation) are used to soften them. In Uruguay the warmer, Atlantic-influenced climate yields a lighter, more supple style with black and red fruit. It is also used for rosé, including the briefly skin-macerated rosés of Irouléguy.