Uruguay's Monte de Luz Cab Franc Delivers

I once had a foreign college student bring me back a bottle of wine from Paraguay. Let's just say the Cabernet is not going to threaten wine off the shelves anywhere in Argentina or Chile.

So I was skeptical when Ashley at Cork & Cracker in Indianapolis wanted me to try a Cabernet Franc from Uruguay.

Domaine Monte de Luz 2008 Carquera Cabernet Franc proved to be a suprisingly nice $11 wine. Uruguay is one of South America's smallest countries but has 300 wineries.

The wine grapes come from the Mohama Mountain, San Jose region. The wine is very soft and round in the mouth with a hint of tobacco and herbs. The balance is very nice and it still holds up to food. I opened the bottle last night and had a glass this evening with some chicken/marinara sauce pasta and it was refreshing.

You can generally find this wine any where from $9-$11.

You'll also find Cabernet Sauvignon and the relatively obscure grape Tannat.

I guess the moral of this story is never be afraid to try familiar grapes even from new countries.

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