Each year on the second Thursday in November, International Tempranillo Day celebrates the Tempranillo.
This black grape is native to Spain and used to make full-bodied red wines.
Spanish Tempranillo delivers contrasting flavors of leather and cherries. The finer the wine, the more balance there is between earth and fruit. The finish is typically smooth and lingers with the taste of tannin on both sides of your mouth. Tempranillo wines from New World regions, including Argentina, Mexico, and the United States, generally offer more fruit flavors like cherry and tomato-sauce, followed by chunky tannins and less earthy notes. Tempranillo can be characterized as either a medium- to full-bodied, with red fruit characteristics. If you’ve never tried Tempranillo before, you may find it has a similar taste profile to both Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon.
The wine pairs especially well with meats cooked on the grill, as well as tacos, burritos, and other foods with a tomato base.
Check out our Tempranillo Top Picks:
A new classic Rioja, Hacienda Lopez de Haro Reserva, a red wine made by Bodega Classica. This winery can be found in San Vicente de la Sonsierra, one of the towns with the highest viticulture tradition in the Rioja Alta.
This wine is a coupage of Tempranillo and Graciano grown on old vines with a low yield; planted in poor soils on terraces on the Ebro River.
Rich, ripe and approachable, the sweetish blueberry and chocolate flavours are balanced nicely by fine tannins and good acid. Pikes Polish Hill River Estate is comprised of approximately 100 hectares of gently rolling slopes at Polish Hill River, an easterly sub-region of the famous Clare Valley in the mid-north of South Australia.
A complex yet approachable 2014 vintage red wine from the Spanish premier wine region of Rioja, crafted by the leading winery Campo Viejo. This wine is best enjoyed with game, lamb stew with chestnut sauce, vegetable tagine, ratatouille, chocolate pudding or a Sunday Roast. It makes a great gift and is the perfect addition to any special occasion.
El Pícaro is a young red wine from Toro made with Tinta de Toro (Tempranillo) grapes from vines between 50 and 70 years old. This wine is produced by Bodega Matsu and is a wine that does not interfere with natural processes, guided by biodynamic viticulture methods.
Wine of Spain.Est. 1705 as a private dining club that saluted the beefsteak as a symbol of liberty and prosperity. Today, we celebrate the best that Spain has to offer with this outstanding Tempranillo. The concentrated berry flavours and ripe tannins make this the perfect accompaniment to grilled steaks, lamb, sausages, and Manchego cheese.
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