Uruguay
MERCOSUR wine rules
Uruguay defines sparkling wine through the MERCOSUR wine regulation, approved by Decree 325/997: espumante natural gets its carbon dioxide from a second alcoholic fermentation in bottle or in large vessels, with at least 4 atmospheres at 20 °C and 10 to 13% alcohol.1
MERCOSUR rules
Decree 325/997 of 3 September 1997 approved MERCOSUR resolution GMC 45/96, the Reglamento Vitivinícola del MERCOSUR, which had been adopted in Buenos Aires in June 1996.1 It sets the categories of sparkling wine used in Uruguay:1
| Category | Source of CO2 | Pressure at 20 °C | Alcohol |
|---|---|---|---|
| Espumante or espumoso natural | second alcoholic fermentation in bottle or large vessels | at least 4 atm | 10-13% vol |
| Moscato or moscatel espumante | fermentation of Muscat must in a closed vessel | at least 4 atm | 7-10% vol |
| Vino gasificado | added pure CO2 | 2.1-3.9 atm | 7.0-14.0% vol |
The text names the bottle method "Champenoise" or traditional, and the large-vessel method "Chaussepied" or Charmat.1 Moscatel espumante must keep at least 60 g/L of natural residual sugar; the same text sets 20 g/L for Brazil.1
Sugar terms
| Term | Sugar |
|---|---|
| Nature | up to 3 g/L |
| Extra Brut | over 3 to 8 g/L |
| Brut | over 8 to 15 g/L |
| Sec or Seco | over 15 to 20 g/L |
| Demi-sec, medio seco or medio dulce | over 20 to 60 g/L |
| Dulce | over 60 g/L |
These terms apply to both natural sparkling and gasified wines.1 The bands differ from the EU sugar scale: a MERCOSUR Brut may reach 15 g/L, but its lower limit is above 8 g/L.
Quality wine labels
Decree 283/993 of 16 June 1993 governs Vinos de Calidad Preferente (VCP). Its article 8 lists the types of wine that may be named on the label, among them "espumosos naturales o gasificados".2
Not covered
The public statistics of the national wine institute INAVI give production and exports by colour (red, white, rosé, other), with no separate sparkling category, so no Uruguayan sparkling volume is given here.
See also
Sources
- IMPO, Uruguay. Decreto N° 325/997 (Reglamento Vitivinícola del MERCOSUR, Res. GMC 45/96) (1997-09-03)
- WIPO Lex. Uruguay: Decree No. 283/993 of 16 June 1993 on Vinos de Calidad Preferente (VCP) (1993-06-16)
Facts checked on 2026-10-20