Uruguay's Sweet Surprise

The holy trinity of wines for chocolate lovers -- Banyuls from France, port from Portugal and sweet sherry from Spain -- is now a quadrinity. That revelation accompanied our first taste of Alcyone, an extraordinary fortified red dessert wine from Uruguay that is one of the most intriguing beverages we've ever tasted. We might never have tried it if not for a chance tip from a bubbly young employee at the Container Store.

In January, as Andrew was buying our seventh Qube Wine Rack, frowning impatiently at his watch, this smiling employee asked what he was waiting for. "A wine rack?" she repeated. "I had an amazing wine the other night from Uruguay," she said, describing a white blend. Just as Andrew grew intrigued enough to ask its name, the wine rack appeared.

But then, a few days later, so did an e-mail with the subject line "Amazing Wine From Uruguay" from the employee, who provided its name and added, "Hope you get a chance to check it out."

So we did. And we found ourselves enchanted by the 2006 Viñedo de los Vientos Estival ($12), a blend of 60 percent Gewürztraminer, 30 percent chardonnay and 10 percent Moscato Bianco. Had we tasted it blind -- finding clean, floral aromatics and rounded, refreshing fruitiness (clementines and ripe white peaches) -- we might have mistaken it for an Alsatian white.

Then in April, Uruguay Imports' Abel Sosa sent us some wine samples that included the N.V. Viñedo de los Vientos Alcyone Licor de Tannat ($29 for 500 ml). Noting that it hailed from the same winery as the Estival, we chilled and tasted it -- and were floored. Alcyone's mesmerizing aroma, which called to mind marshmallow-topped hot chocolate, preceded a beguiling array of flavors including creamy cocoa and black-cherry confiture.

Sosa said Alcyone is based on a "recipe" from winemaker Pablo Fallabrino's great-grandmother. While declining to share it, Fallabrino acknowledged in an e-mail that this alluringly complex wine is "fortified with brandy and infused with different native roots and herbs during the aging process" and was created by merging "Marsala (Sicilian dessert wine) and Barolo Quinato (Piedmont dessert wine) techniques."

Uruguay's 300 wineries are mostly small, family-owned operations started by Italian and Spanish immigrants. Winemakers such as Fallabrino hope to help Uruguay come into its own as a global player after years of toiling in the shadows of Argentina, Brazil and Chile. Uruguayan wine exports quadrupled from 2005 to 2007, and they can be found on a small but increasing number of U.S. wine lists.

At Cafe Atlantico downtown, the light-bodied 2005 Posada del Virrey Viognier ($39 a bottle, $10 a glass), featuring peach and honey notes, is an easy entry to the world of Uruguayan wines. "Viognier is one of my favorite varietals," said sommelier Jill Zimorski. "Many of our customers find Uruguayan Viognier more straightforward [than its French relatives], with more aromatic and limy characteristics." She pairs it with the restaurant's seared scallops with ginger and coconut rice, or with conch fritters, mostly for adventurous diners who are curious to try something from a country whose wines they've never tasted before. "There's been a huge improvement in quality from Uruguay, so we like to reward the good effort," she said.

Another Uruguayan white is Andrew's pick this week. The 2007 H. Stagnari Gewürztraminer ($12) has the obvious characteristics of its grape varietal -- a floral nose with notes of honey and nutmeg, and flavors of apple, pear and lemon with hints of minerality -- but is much gentler than its Alsatian or German relatives.

But Uruguay is staking its reputation on the red grape tannat (tah-NOT), which is to Uruguay what malbec is to Argentina and accounts for about one-third of the wines Uruguay produces. Previously grown mostly in France's Madiran region and one of the world's most tannic grapes, tannat is made more palatable in two primary ways: through extensive aging (which mellows its tannins) and through blending with other grapes. To best enjoy it, open this concentrated wine with intense blackberry and black-plum flavors an hour or two before serving. Breathing allows tannat's strong tannins (which are gentler in Uruguay than in France) to soften in flavor and texture. Tannat pairs well with hard cheeses, hearty pastas with rich meat sauces, and grilled or roasted beef, lamb and sausages.

Karen's favorite of the tannats we tasted was the 2004 H. Stagnari Tannat Viejo ($15). Though its tannins dominated from the minute the bottle was opened, its fruit shone through even then with such brightness that this dry wine, like some Zinfandels, had a mirage of sweetness. It's on the wine list at Ruth's Chris Steak House, whose vice president, Kevin Boyer, told us in an e-mail that because its D.C. location has more than 100 embassies within a two-mile radius, "We try to carry at least one quality selection from each wine-growing country." Andrew's favorite, the 2005 Dante Irurtia Dante's Red ($11), turned out to be a blend of half tannat and half nebbiolo (another extremely tannic grape), which still managed to produce a wine lighter in body and flavor than the previous one. We both enjoyed the 2004 Don Adelio Ariano Tannat Reserve Oak Barrel ($13), a 100 percent tannat wine aged for 12 months in small oak barrels. Its blackberry and black cherry fruit had notes of vanilla.

There has never been a better time to explore Uruguayan wines, now that they're increasingly available yet still a relative bargain. Red-meat lovers can take advantage of tannat's exceptional aging potential by cellaring these reds to enjoy years, even decades, from now. Anyone lacking such patience can pour an Alcyone to experience a taste of heaven tonight.

Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page, authors of "What to Drink With What You Eat," can be reached through their Web site, http://www.becomingachef.com, or at food@washpost.com.