I always liked Tannat, the restaurant with the Uruguayan accent on Ancha de San Antonio. I liked Jose Manuel and Monica Garcia, the couple that owned it. And I liked that the focus was almost as much on the wine as the food. But I hardly ever went there.

I’m not sure exactly why but I think it was because I was never induced, enticed, persuaded, reminded or coaxed to go there. And I do need a little coaxing no matter how good a restaurant is. Despite what James Earl Jones said, and no matter how seductive his voice may be, just because you build it, doesn’t mean they’ll come.

The original Tannat had other problems. The opening pair of chefs showed a lot of talent and a lot of promise but were there one day, gone the next. There may have been some difficulties with neighbors. Rent on the Ancha probably wasn’t cheap. And it wasn’t the best of spaces as far as atmosphere.

The new Tannat, on the other hand, is charming, comfortable, cozy, like visiting someone’s home. Probably because it is someone’s home. Probably because it’s where Jose Manuel and Monica Garcia live.

You enter into the living room where there’s a bar, one small table and bookcases that testify to why Jose Manuel Garcia is considered by some to have more wine savvy than any other San Miguel restauranteur.

You pass one more small table before entering the dining room where there’s a table for six and a very open kitchen.

Eight of us paid our first visit there recently. The occasion was a wine pairing lunch. Organized by Jose Manuel and Monica with Rosario Arvizu of The Wine Stop. Ideally we (and probably they) would have liked to have paired the dishes with Tannat, Uruguay’s signature wine, but Tannat is hard to find and often hard to afford unless you’ve got deep pockets.

Instead, Rosario had chosen three Italian wines, all made with some lesser known grapes, to match the menu, quite fitting considering Italy’s influence on Uruguayan cuisine.

The first course was an excellent example. Monica, who is now the chef of the open kitchen (and looking very confident and happy to be there), chose a fried polenta with Gorgonzola cheese, tomatoes and fresh oregano sprigs to start while Jose Manuel told us that “there was documentation that Leonardo da Vinci cooked polenta.”

The polenta was paired with a wine from Puglia, the heel when you look at an Italian map. It’s made from a grape called Falanghina, a grape so rare that even Don Day had somehow missed it.

Bellalma is the brand name and Rosario remarked that it was “very floral on the nose but there’s not a lot of fruit.”

On the tongue though I found it had lots of peach, a little melon and some crushed stone to add interest. The wine was very refreshing and would make a great summer quencher.

The next course was also heavily influenced by Italy but this time via Argentina. Jose told us that the recipe for eggplant sorrentino came from the restaurant Sorrento in Buenos Aires. The pockets of pasta were topped with a fresh pomodora sauce. When eggplant is prepared like this, without any bitterness from the skin, it has the same richness as grass fed beef.

We stayed in Puglia for the second wine, a red called Arroco made with a grape called Nero di Troia. Though this grape has been known for centuries, until recently it was only used in blends, usually with Montepulciano. These days, with its complex flavors and excessive amount of tannins, it’s the darling of wine critics. I found it smoky, spicy, with some cherries and a lot of tea leaves. If iced tea is your drink of choice, this could be your wine.

For the main, Monica chose a dish that’s a Uruguayan classic. It’s called estofado and, with so many variations, the word has almost become a synonym for stew. Monica’s version used a rich tomato broth, with beef as the protein and both regular and sweet potatoes as the carbs. The beef could have used a couple more hours of simmering but the flavors were hearty and fit like a glove with the red wine.

I was happy to see which wine had been chosen for the estofado because it was a wine that had made me happy on a few occasions. The Wine Stop had travelled down to the toe of Italy and across the straight to the island of Sicily. Nero d’Avola is Sicilia’s signature red grape and Chiaramonte one of the most popular brand names. With its red currants, plums, pepper and chocolate, it’s a good alternative to Cabernet Sauvignon.

I like complicated desserts a lot. But I like simple desserts even more. For our last course, Monica made a simple tart filled with what she calls membrillo and I call quince. Quince is one of those fruits that doesn’t work well on its own but becomes magic when used as a pie filling or preserve. In fact, the word marmalade is from the Portuguese word for quince. Chef Monica’s quince was not to sweet, not too tart. The crust was crumbly and buttery.

A fruit pie is not an easy thing to team with a wine, even a sweet dessert wine. But a brandy can be perfect. And seeing that The Wine Stop is the Mexican distributor of Armagnac de Montal, we had a grand finale.

Tannat the second is located in La Lejona the second, the blossoming residencial subdivision behind San Miguel de Allende’s Supermercado Mega. They’re about the only business around. And the only business they’re going to get is from people who make formal plans to go there.

What they’ll find are two very gracious and welcoming hosts. What they’ll experience is charm, warmth and a lot of personal attention. What the hosts will call the cuisine is cocina casera Uruguaya; what I call it is South American comfort food. What you’ll drink there can best be described as some interesting, imaginative and affordable wine.

I mentioned early in the post that I thought the original Tannat wasn’t the best at promoting itself. In the 18 or so months they were around, I couldn’t remember one communication I received from them.

That’s already changed with the new Tannat. Yesterday I received an email from Jose Manuel Garcia announcing plans for a special night pairing dishes with the Uruguayan wine that he thinks so much of he named the restaurant after it. See you there?

Tannat is located at Centella 27, in La Lejona II, in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.

All of the wines tasted at Tannat are available from The Wine Stop in Queretaro and they deliver to San Miguel weekly. For a copy of their price list, email Rosario Arvizu at rosario.tws@hotmail.com.