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Mexico, Brazil and Uruguay: the wines to know
Valle de Guadalupe and Querétaro, Brazil's sparkling wine from Vale dos Vinhedos to the tropics, and Uruguay's Tannat and VCP label, with a short quiz.
Alper Billik · Advanced Sommelier
Updated October 2026 · 5 min read · Edited with AI
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The short answer: Mexico is red wine from the dry valleys of Baja California, plus high-altitude vineyards in the centre and north. Brazil is, above all, sparkling wine from the cool, wet hills of Rio Grande do Sul. Uruguay is Tannat, grown in a mild, Atlantic climate around Canelones. For the Court's Advanced exam you need each country's districts and grapes, Uruguay's VCP label, and the main producers.
Mexico
Vines came with the Spanish in the sixteenth century, and Casa Madero, in Parras, Coahuila, dates its winery to 1597 and calls itself the oldest winery in the Americas. The historic grape is Mission, the Spanish Listán Prieto. Modern Mexican wine grew up in Baja California.
- Valle de Guadalupe (Baja California, near Ensenada): the heart of Mexican wine. A warm, dry, Mediterranean-like valley cooled by the Pacific, with granite-derived sandy soils. Ripe, full reds and blends.
- Parras (Coahuila): high, inland valley; home of Casa Madero.
- Querétaro: high central plateau, best known for sparkling wine. In 2025 it became Mexico's first wine geographical indication.
- Also: Aguascalientes, Zacatecas, Guanajuato and other high-altitude areas of the centre and north.
- Grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon, Tempranillo, Nebbiolo, Grenache, Syrah, Petite Sirah, Zinfandel, Barbera; Chenin Blanc and Sauvignon Blanc for whites.
- Producers to know: Casa Madero, L.A. Cetto, Monte Xanic, Hacienda La Lomita, Vinícola Fraternidad.
Brazil
Brazil's fine wine comes mostly from the south, in Rio Grande do Sul, where Italian immigrants settled the hills of the Serra Gaúcha from the 1870s. It is cool and often wet, which suits fresh base wines for sparkling wine, Brazil's strongest style.
- Vale dos Vinhedos (Serra Gaúcha, around Bento Gonçalves): Brazil's first Indicação de Procedência (2002) and first Denominação de Origem (2012). DO sparkling wines are traditional method, based on Chardonnay and/or Pinot Noir; Merlot is the key red.
- Altos de Pinto Bandeira: a DO for traditional-method sparkling wine, in the Serra Gaúcha.
- Farroupilha: known for aromatic, sweet, low-alcohol Moscatel sparkling wine, in the style of Asti.
- Campanha Gaúcha: the south, on the border with Uruguay: flatter, drier, larger estates; reds and sparkling.
- Planalto Catarinense (Santa Catarina): high-altitude vineyards, cool, for crisp sparkling and still wines.
- Vale do São Francisco (Bahia and Pernambuco): tropical and semi-arid, irrigated from the river; vines can give more than one harvest a year. Fresh, fruity sparkling wines, often tank method.
- Grapes: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Riesling Itálico for sparkling; Moscato for sweet fizz; Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Tannat for reds. Much ordinary wine and juice still comes from American (Vitis labrusca) and hybrid grapes such as Isabel.
- Producers to know: Miolo, Casa Valduga, Salton, Aurora (a cooperative), Pizzato, Lidio Carraro, Cave Geisse, Chandon do Brasil.
Uruguay
Uruguay sits between Brazil and Argentina on the Atlantic, with a mild, humid, maritime climate unlike the deserts of Mendoza. Its signature is Tannat, the grape of Madiran in south-west France, brought by Basque settlers in the nineteenth century (Pascual Harriague is often credited). Uruguayan Tannat is dark and tannic but usually fresher and softer than Madiran.
- Canelones: next to Montevideo, the largest wine area by far; clay and limestone soils.
- Montevideo, San José, Colonia (Carmelo) and Florida: the other southern areas.
- Maldonado: by the Atlantic, around Garzón; cooler, granite-rich, newer vineyards. Albariño does well here.
- Rivera: in the north, on the Brazilian border, warmer and drier.
- Grapes: Tannat first; Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Marselan; Albariño, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Viognier.
- Producers to know: Bodega Garzón, Pisano, Bouza, Familia Deicas, Viñedo de los Vientos.
Uruguay's VCP label
Uruguay has no appellation pyramid like France. Its wine law (Decree 283/993) sets two categories: VCP, Vino de Calidad Preferente, for quality wine made from approved Vitis vinifera varieties, at least 10.5% alcohol, in bottles of 750 ml or less; and Vino Común for everything else. The national institute, INAVI, controls the use of place names on labels.
The three side by side
| Country | Key region | Signature style | Climate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mexico | Valle de Guadalupe, Baja California | Ripe red blends | Warm, dry, Pacific-cooled |
| Brazil | Vale dos Vinhedos, Serra Gaúcha | Traditional-method sparkling; Moscatel sparkling | Cool, humid hills; tropical in the north-east |
| Uruguay | Canelones | Tannat | Mild, humid, Atlantic |
- Mexico
- Key regionValle de Guadalupe, Baja California
- Signature styleRipe red blends
- ClimateWarm, dry, Pacific-cooled
- Brazil
- Key regionVale dos Vinhedos, Serra Gaúcha
- Signature styleTraditional-method sparkling; Moscatel sparkling
- ClimateCool, humid hills; tropical in the north-east
- Uruguay
- Key regionCanelones
- Signature styleTannat
- ClimateMild, humid, Atlantic
Quick quiz
Question 1
Which grape is Uruguay's signature?
- a)Malbec
- b)Carménère
- c)Tannat
- d)Bonarda
Show answerAnswer
c) Tannat. Tannat, from Madiran in south-west France.
Question 2
What does VCP stand for on a Uruguayan label?
- a)Vino de Cosecha Propia
- b)Vino de Calidad Preferente
- c)Viñedo Controlado Protegido
- d)Vino Clásico Premium
Show answerAnswer
b) Vino de Calidad Preferente. Vino de Calidad Preferente, Uruguay's quality wine category.
Question 3
Which was Brazil's first Denominação de Origem?
- a)Campanha
- b)Vale dos Vinhedos
- c)Vale do São Francisco
- d)Farroupilha
Show answerAnswer
b) Vale dos Vinhedos. Vale dos Vinhedos: IP in 2002, DO in 2012.
Question 4
Which Brazilian region can give more than one harvest a year?
- a)Serra Gaúcha
- b)Vale do São Francisco
- c)Planalto Catarinense
- d)Campanha
Show answerAnswer
b) Vale do São Francisco. Tropical and irrigated, the vines never go fully dormant.
Question 5
Mexico's best-known wine valley is in which state?
- a)Coahuila
- b)Querétaro
- c)Baja California
- d)Zacatecas
Show answerAnswer
c) Baja California. Valle de Guadalupe, near Ensenada.
Question 6
Which Mexican region is best known for sparkling wine?
- a)Querétaro
- b)Valle de Guadalupe
- c)Parras
- d)Sonora
Show answerAnswer
a) Querétaro. Querétaro, Mexico's first wine geographical indication (2025).
Next door, read Argentina for Level 1 and Chile for Level 1. For more questions on every region, SOMM DIGI AI has 3,000+ exam-prep questions, free to start.
Questions people ask
Does Brazil make good sparkling wine?
Yes, it is Brazil's strongest style. Look for traditional-method wines from Vale dos Vinhedos and Pinto Bandeira, and sweet Moscatel sparkling from Farroupilha.
What is the main wine region of Mexico?
Valle de Guadalupe in Baja California, near Ensenada.
What does Uruguayan Tannat taste like?
Dark fruit, firm tannins and fresh acidity; usually rounder and fresher than Tannat from Madiran.
What are the main sparkling wine regions of Brazil?
Vale dos Vinhedos, Pinto Bandeira and Farroupilha in the Serra Gaúcha, plus Campanha, the Planalto Catarinense and the tropical Vale do São Francisco.
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