The Buyer | Amanda Barnes MW on her new 'Top 10 Uruguayan Wines' event

Tell us about your new Top 10 initiative on South American wines that you are launching?

I’ve been a wine critic for many different publications for well over a decade, and while I really enjoy writing for them, people have been asking me for years when I was going to publish my own ratings and definitive wine selection.

In many ways, I already do. The South America Wine Guidebook includes my selections of the wines that I think best represent each terroir or region. But the books take several years to research and produce, and I wanted a way of sharing my definitive list of what you should be drinking right now.

Rather than giving every wine a score out of 100 or 20, though, I wanted to do something a little different and, I hope, even more valuable. For me, being told that a wine is one of the ten wines you really should taste from Uruguay this year says much more than whether it scored 94 or 95 points.

The Top 10 is my annual selection of the best 10 wines on release from each country: both the great classics that remain benchmarks and the most exciting new wines, producers, regions and styles that are moving the industry forward.

In addition, there are Top 10 Value and Top 10 Emerging selections, and a Top 10 Wine Tourism Experiences, because for me the greatest joy of South American wine is actually being there and I wanted to celebrate those delivering something extra special in terms of wine experiences.

The reports will be free to download on southamericawineguide.com, so I hope they become a useful annual reference for both the trade and wine lovers.

Why did you want to do this now?

I’m still publishing new books within ‘The South America Wine Guide series’, but they take much longer to come to life. The Top 10 gives me a way of sharing the most exciting discoveries with the market and wine lovers right now.

My plan is to publish a Top 10 every year, so that it becomes an annual pulse check on each country: the great wines you should know, the classics still setting the benchmark, and the new producers, regions and styles everyone should be paying attention to.

The books give you the bigger picture of South American wine; the Top 10 tells you what you need to taste now.

You are starting with Uruguay - why did you want to kick the series off with Uruguay?

Uruguay is one of my favourite wine countries in South America, and one that is still under the radar for so many. The wines coming out of Uruguay are increasingly diverse and exciting, so it felt like a good place to start.

It is also much smaller than Argentina or Chile in terms of production, so it is a much more feasible starting point for this year, and it coincides with the publication of my new book, ‘The Uruguay Wine Guide’, later this year. Next year, in 2027, I will add Chile and Argentina.

For those that don't know Uruguayan wine, what are the key factors people need to know in terms of the styles they are making that are suitable for UK wine lists?

I think most people will be quite surprised when my report is released that it isn’t all Tannat. There’s incredible diversity in Uruguayan wine, in terms of varieties and regions but also stylistically and in different winemaking traditions.

Uruguay is still so untapped in terms of consumer recognition that it offers a rather thrilling sense of discovery. There’s nothing obvious about a sommelier putting a Uruguayan wine on their list, and that makes it exciting for both the person pouring it and the person discovering it.

And there is genuinely something for almost every part of a wine list today: from Atlantic-influenced Albariño and other bright whites through to lighter reds, Cabernet Franc, orange wines, traditional-method sparkling wine and, of course, some really sophisticated expressions of Tannat.

What criteria have you used to pick your Top 10?

Wines that reflect where they come from, in terms of place and people. My Top 10 highlights some of the key styles of Uruguay, as well as some of the most exciting regions and varieties.

I did a full sweep of the country, visiting lots of different wineries and vineyards and tasting openly with producers over the course of a few weeks. And then I requested samples of the wines that had really excited me - whether for their quality, value, innovation, or simply for being bloody delicious.

I tasted that shortlist blind over the course of two days, by category and organised by variety. I asked an independent team to organise the order and manage the wines so that I was tasting without any prejudice.

I love tasting blind for important decisions like this, and there were a few surprises in what came out on top. The final selection is entirely my own and independent, which was important to me.

People can discover these wines for themselves at a special tasting you are doing on September 3 in London - what can people expect?

I am hosting a trade tasting at Paladar, which is a brilliant South American restaurant in Southwark. All 30 wines will be open to taste, the report will be there to download, but ultimately I also want the UK trade to come and pick their own favourites!

There will be a special opportunity to pick your favourite wine from each selection: the Top 10, Top 10 Value and Top 10 Emerging. The results of the trade vote will be revealed at a special event in Uruguay later in the year when I launch ‘The Uruguay Wine Guide’.

I already have my three number-one wines of the year selected. Those will be revealed in Uruguay too. I’m opening the vote up to the public too, so it will be interesting to see whether the trade and public favourites agree.

It makes it a bit more fun.

You are also hosting a masterclass on the day - what will you be covering there?

The masterclass is going to be focused on my Top 10. We will be tasting those top ten wines, and I will be sharing the stories behind the producers and places, and why I think they are the most exciting wines of the year.

It’s really an educational opportunity for sommeliers, buyers and press who want to understand Uruguay beyond the glass: the regions, personalities and some of the changes happening in Uruguayan wine today.

Tell us about the Top 10 Value and Top 10 Emerging reports - what are your definitions for those and how have you chosen the wine and producers?

The selection process is the same as for the Top 10: tasting broadly across the country, making a shortlist and then tasting those wines blind.

Top 10 Value includes wines under £20 retail. I am very aware that in today’s economic climate wine can feel like a luxury, so I wanted to highlight the wines delivering really exciting drinking at a more accessible price. Wine is expensive to produce in Uruguay - more so than in Chile or Argentina because of its scale and climate - so finding wines that really overdeliver on value is particularly meaningful.

Top 10 Emerging is about what to have on your radar next: rising producers, lesser-known regions and varieties, new styles and innovations in the winery.

Many of these wines are also seeking representation in the UK, so there is a real opportunity for discovery for importers and buyers. These are the wines showing some of the most exciting new directions in Uruguayan wine.

You are also planning on doing further Top 10 reports next year - tell us more about those?

I will be releasing Top 10 Chile and Top 10 Argentina, and, of course, Uruguay 2027. I’m timing the releases around the publication of my new books: Uruguay this year, and Argentina and Chile hopefully next year.

Ultimately, I’d like the Top 10 series to become an annual barometer of what is happening across South American wine - what is established, what is changing and what we should all be paying attention to next.

Anything else in the pipeline?

Yes, my long-suffering book on Criolla! I’ve had a few hiccups in production timelines but hopefully the book will be published before the end of the year.

The book has been a labour of love, focusing on telling the story of the long-forgotten native Criolla varieties of South America. They are some of the continent’s oldest vines and, at the same time, part of one of its most exciting wine movements today.

You can join Amanda Barnes MW at the virtual launch of Top 10 Uruguay on August 27 by registering online here.
You can register for the London trade tasting and masterclass on September 3 at Paladar, 4-5 London Road, London SE1 6JZ between 11am-2.30pm.
Amanda Barnes MW's masterclass introducing her Top 10 takes place beteween 11am-12.15pm followed by a walkaround tasting featuring the 30 wines covered in the full report. Click here to register. Note registration does not guarantee a seat at the masterclass.
The report will be downloadable on https://southamericawineguide.com/ after August 27.