Canelones
Uruguay produced a steady flow of wine from the many winemaking families primarily settled in and around the capital, Montevideo. A modern Uruguayan wine industry nevertheless developed and the epicenter subsequently settled in Canelones (in the region adjacent to the capital). Although the history of Uruguayan wine has much in common with that of other regions of South America and the New World, Uruguay is nevertheless very different. It does not have the same abundance of sunshine and dry weather as Chile, Argentina and many other well-known New World wine countries. In Latin America, it is very similar to its neighbor Brazil. However, its climate tends to more closely resemble the Atlantic conditions found in Bordeaux in France. The climate is mild with hot summers and cool winters, but nothing too extreme. The Canelones region never gets snow and a long, hot summer is generally considered a blessing. The Atlantic influence is an important factor in the Canelones (and most of Uruguay's wine regions) because the coastal winds provide some ventilation to the vines, reducing the risk of rot and keeping temperatures a little cooler in general.