tempranillo

The most respected black grape grown in Spain, it is their answer to cabernet sauvignon. The thick-skinned grapes are capable of making deep-coloured, long-lived wines that are not overly alcoholic. It ripens early, before garnacha, which is one reason why it is still sometimes blended with garnacha to make Rioja. Cool climate tempranillo wines tend to fairly light on flavour unless they have some oak maturation and/or fermentation, which lends a spiciness to the light, strawberry fruit. In warmer regions it is often tempered with monastrell or cabernet sauvignon to produce juicy, flavoursome wines. It has taken well over the border in Portugal, where it is called tinta roriz, used as part of the Port blend as well as the new wave table wines.

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