Tempranillo, the most famous wine of Spain’s Rioja region, is a blend that starts with Tempranillo. Rioja (the red wine) is traditionally a blend of Tempranillo, Garnacha, and Mazuelo. It has found a surprising but highly successful home in Texas, particularly the Hill Country and High Plains. In Portugal, the variety is known as Tinta Roriz, and it can be found in Port and the dry wines from the Douro Valley and Dao region. The Spanish name of the variety, which is most widely used globally, refers to its tendency to ripen early. The Spanish word “Temprano,” which means early in English, is the linguistic origin of the name Tempranillo.
Tempranillo is a grape that thrives in hot and dry conditions.
What is Tempranillo Wine?
Tempranillo wine is a red produced from grapes of the same name. It will likely be labeled this way in the “New World,” but the word is most likely to appear on labels from the classic growing regions of Spain. You should know that most red Rioja wines are blends based on Tempranillo and that many of the best reds from Ribera del Duero are Tempranillo.
How to find the best wines from Spain
Where Does Tempranillo Wine Come From?
Tempranillo wine is the most common in Spain. It is a wide variety in Rioja, Ribera del Duero, Navarra, Valdepenas, and other parts of the country—mainly the northern two-thirds. Wines like Bodega Nmanthia or Bodega Matsu from Toro are notable. Tempranillo is a grape that has enjoyed some success in California and other parts of the Pacific Northwest but has been most successful in Texas.
Why should you drink Tempranillo wine?
Tempranillo can be excellent on its own or in combination with other grapes. Tempranillo’s brambly notes of berries and spices work well and add depth to blends. It can also effusively express the terroir and the character and characteristics of the growing seasons. It can be made into dry wines that can age for decades. It also adds complexity to sweet fortified Port wines. The Sandeman Twenty-Year-Old Tawny Port is fantastic and tastes like the liquid equivalent of the holiday season. The pralines, honey-coated roasted almonds, and walnut brittle are all accompanied by sweet spice.
Climate change will continue to impact the growing conditions of regions around the globe, from Rioja to Texas. Tempranillo will likely become more prevalent in warmer areas. This is because it can thrive in the heat.
It’s also a great partner at the dinner table for many different foods. It pairs well with barbecued and grilled meats, as do games. With a plate full of Spanish ham and Manchego, a young Rioja is an excellent late-afternoon snack. You can find a great Tempranillo wine for under $20. You can also spend a lot more.
What does Tempranillo taste like?
Tempranillo has notes that include brambly berries and cherries. In warmer climates or vintages, plums are also present. These notes are balanced by sweet, woody spice and hints of cigar tobacco. Its tannin structure allows the wine to age relatively long, depending on how it was grown and vinified. As Tempranillo ages, it tends to develop more savory qualities, such as leather, cigar humidor, and earth. When it is aged in new oak barrels, the classic spices of the wood vessel become more dominant.
Tempranillo is best served slightly above cellar temperature. Warm Tempranillo can taste stewed and even pruney. Decanting allows the fruit and spices to be seen through the tannins often present in young wines. The best ones tend to retain a high level of acids which helps them remain fresh.
Five Great Tempranillo Wines
There are a lot of great Tempranillos on the market. The five producers listed alphabetically are a great way to explore all the Tempranillo wines have to offer.
Abadia Retuerta
Castilla y Leon D.O. The 2016 Pago Negralada Vinedos Propios Tempranillo is a toasty expression that still sparkles with energy. This wine reminds me of black cherries and a summer bonfire. It would go well with anything from steaks to hard cheeses.
Beronia, Bodegas Montecillo, and Conde Valdemar
Beronia wines are a staple in many wine collections. This is because they are consistently aged-worthy and well-crafted. Rioja Reserva 2015, a blend of 95% Tempranillo, 4% Graciano, and 1% Mazuelo, is a precise, well-defined wine with mouthwatering cherry, huckleberry, and sweet spices. Montecillo Gran Reserva 22 Barricas, also from 2015, is savory and spicy with cured tobacco and olives but with just enough cherries and plums to be generous. This wine is an excellent choice for aging in the cellar due to the tannins in the Tempranillo grape and the oak aging. It also drinks well now. And the 2015 Conde Valdemar Reserva, from a producer now in its fifth generation, drips with kirsch and pomegranate-syrup-drizzled dark chocolate truffles, a seam of spice lending it all tension and length, a flash of black licorice riding through the well-structured finish.
Familia Torres
The excellent Clos Ancestral 2020 is from Spain’s legendary producer of outstanding wines. The blend is Tempranillo with Garnacha and Moneu indigenous grapes, grown on a vineyard of not quite 40 acres in the Penedes D.O. The energetic structure is a blend of Tempranillo, Garnacha, and the indigenous variety Moneu, all grown in a vineyard not quite 40 acres large, located in the Penedes D.O.
La Rioja Alta
La Rioja Alta, a highly regarded region in Spain, produces several expressions of Tempranillo. The 2016 Vina Alberdi Rioja Reserva from this region is a tasty one. A sweet root beer-like flavor adds richness to the velvety notes of chocolate ganache and toasted vanilla.
Ron Yates Pedernales and Bending Branch
The 2017 Ron Yates Friesen vineyard Tempranillo has a generous, open-knit structure with a beautiful design that promises ten more years of evolution. The fruit is so good that it wouldn’t be worth aging it for that long. Mulberries and blackberries have licorice, candied violets, vanilla, plums, and tobacco. The 2019 Pedernales Tempranillo, a spicy and brambly berry-rich wine from Texas High Plains, as well as the dense, rich 2017 Newsom Vineyard Tempranillo from Bending Branch Winery, are both worth acquiring, either for a collection or to enjoy right away.