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| Tempranillo Ready For Harvest |
Today I want to talk about a wine grape that has fast become one of my favorite varietals. Today we will talk about the Tempranillo (temp-rah-NEE-yo) grape. Like most Americans I had never heard of this varietal until I went to South Coast Winery (http://wineresort.com/) in Temecula California where I did a tasting and this varietal was one of the wines included in that tasting. I immediately fell in love with the varietal as I noticed that this wine was truly different from the Cabernet Sauvignon that at the time was my favorite and that I was accustomed to drinking. This wine was peppery, had Tannins and was earthy and simply struck me as being a deep oakey red in a way that was unique in comparison to a good Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot. There is a great chance that many of you guys might never have heard of this grape but I am here to convince you to at least give this grape a try as I think you will be happy. Bottom line, if you love a big red than this is your wine. For those of you who have access to a place called Total Wine & Spirits (http://www.totalwine.com/) you will find the Tempranillo in the "Other Reds" section. Let's now look a little deeper into the Tempranillo grape and it's history and we will of course start at the beginning since many of us will be learning about this grape for the very first time. By the way I will learn along with you so don't feel to bad.
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| Tempranillo Vineyard In Washington State |
The word Tempranillo means "little early one", this is due to the fact that it flowers, buds, and ripens around two weeks earlier that Spain's other popular red grapes. The Tempranillo is a black grape and is one of the most famous and best known of Spain's native grapes, it is also known as the Cabernet Sauvignon of Spain. In Portugal it is even used for fortified wines (Ports). Some of the characteristics this wonderful grape has are it is thick skinned, it's intense ruby red color and violet-blue undertones with weak acidity. The grape makes a medium to full-bodied red wine with full fruit flavor. The grape is also known for it's medium to strong tannin's. The wine is usually aged in Oak for 12-18 months but not always. Tempranillo is also largely used as a blending grape such as Merlot and others. I hate to say it but the Tempranillo grape is also used for "Jug Wine" as a blending grape. The grape also goes by many different names in Spain such as Tinto de Toro, Pinto Madrid, Cencibel, Tinto Fino and Ojo de Liebre. When it comes to aging a red wine look no further than the Tempranillo which has the structure to age very well. As for growing conditions the grape loves the heat but does enjoy cooler nights and is above average when it comes to withstanding cold Spring temperatures. The growing of Tempranillo has spread from Spain to California (where it first arrived in the 1900's probably in the form of seeds) to Oregon, Texas (1998) and Washington State. This spread has been at a very slow rate but if wine reviewers and writers like me keep writing about it hopefully there is a great chance that people will at least give it a try and fall in love with it as I have. I really believe that if given a try, people will be hooked and the popularity (as well as the price unfortunately) will start to climb. For those of you who are looking for a review on this varietal from me I just so happen to have a 2011 Tempranillo from ST AMANTI (http://www.stamantwine.com/About-Us/Winery) winery located in Lodi, California. When I complete that tasting I will do a review on it and post it. Till then folks get out there and try a bottle of Tempranillo and e mail me and let me know what you think.
If you still want to know more about this varietal check out this pdf http://iv.ucdavis.edu/files/24363.pdf. It is everything you always wanted to know about this grape....and more.
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| Tempranillo On The Vine |
The Desert Wine Guy
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