Tempranillo
It likely brings to mind Spanish Guitars, or perhaps glimpses of the Camino de Santiago, the Way of St. James, the trek across northern Spain.
This grape, best known in Northern Spain, is known by many names:
In the Duoro Valley it is known as Tinta Roriz,
In Portugals Alentejo they call it Aragonez,
In the Ribera del Duero of Spain it is known as Tinta del Pair
and in the La Mancha region they know it as Cencibel.
Across the Mediterranean in Italy, they call it Santo Stefano in Pisa.
We have enjoyed Tempranillo in California, southern Oregon, and Australia, so it is a well-travelled grape!
This is a month of celebration of this grape, with International Tempranillo Day set for the second Thursday in November (this year that was yesterday the 14th) and in Ribera y Rueda, they celebrate Tempranillo for the entire month of November!
Rioja
We’ve written about the region before:
This is undoubtedly the most famous region for red wines in Spain. Rioja is known for its outstanding Tempranillo based wines and produces almost 1 sixth of the countries DO level wine. They became Spain’s first designated DO region in 1925 and were the first region elevated to its Calificada status as a DOCa status in 1991.
The region is in north-central Spain in the Ebro River Valley. Most of the region is within the Province of La Rioja, but some vineyards cross over into the Provinces of Navarra and bits of the Basque Region.
Winemaking dates back 2000 years in Rioja, but it was not until the late nineteenth century when new techniques were introduced to the region and then the French came south trying to escape the grasp of phylloxera and the Bordeaux style of aging became prevalent in the area.
There are 3 regions in Rioja, Rioja Alta which is the furthest west and higher in elevation, Rioja Alavesa which sits north of Rioja Alta and mostly north of the Ebro river that runs through the entire region. Rioja Oriental (or Rioja Baja) sits to the east of the region in a much lower area.
About Rioja Aging
We wrote about the aging requirements in Rioja
Spanish wines are broken into 3 quality levels by aging requirements. Rioja ups the ante on this:
Crianza: Minimum 12 months in barrel and 24 months total aging (up from 6 months in barrel for other Spanish red wines)
Reserva: 12 months in barrel and 36 months total aging (this is the same as other Spanish reds)
Gran Reserva: 24 months in barrel and an additional 36 months in bottle to total 60 months of aging before release. (This is up from the 18 months barrel time for other Spanish reds).
Most are aged in American Oak, although some producers are using French oak. French oak is noted for higher tannins while American oak imparts flavors of vanilla, coconut, and dill. American oak is denser also (a board can weigh twice as much as the same size French oak board)”
Aromas and Flavors of Tempranillo
These wines are redolent with red fruits, like cherries, raspberries, and strawberries.
You might also find rich, deep notes of dried fig, cedar, forest floor, tobacco, and baking spice, including nutmeg, & cinnamon.
As well as herbs, dried cherries, cranberries, prunes, balsamic notes, coffee, and sometimes vanilla.
Pairing with Tempranillo
The tannins in Tempranillo make it a good match for meats, think burgers, steaks and tacos. Charcuterie, cured meats work well and you can lean into red peppers, garlic and paprika.
While red meats work very well, don’t be afraid of poultry, especially game birds. A stew with saffron, tomatoes and olives is delicious and will allow you to even pair seafood with this wine.
As far as cheese? A Manchego is perfect or go with another hard Spanish cheese of Sheep’s milk!
We did a pairing with pork tacos on one occassion that was wonderful. If you happen to be a red wine and chocolate person, we also did a dessert pairing with black cherry ice cream and a chocolate nest!
In our book Tempting Spoonfuls – Small bites paired with wines from around the Globe, we did Lamb with parsnip puree, with berry, wine, and rosemary pan sauce to pair with a Rioja.
More on Tempranillo from Crushed Grape Chronicles
Read more on Tempranillo and some exciting places where it is grown
- Exploring undercovered Umpqua Valley – Day 5 of The Scenic Route
- Nashdale Lane – Great People, a Rainbow of Wines and the Perfect Glamping Experience in the Orange Wine Region
- The Scenic Route Part 6 – Visiting Rioja in Washington and dinner at a gas station in Walla Walla
- Chocolate nests with chocolate branches paired with Rioja Marques de Riscal 2014 Reserva
- Day 5 in Spain! 12 Days of Wine 2022 the Global Edition
Visit these websites for more information on Rioja
Robin Renken is a wine writer and Certified Specialist of Wine and WSET 3 Certified. She and her husband Michael travel to wine regions interviewing vineyard owners and winemakers and learning the stories behind the glass.
When not traveling they indulge in cooking and pairing wines with food at home in Las Vegas.
Check out our book series, “Tempting Spoonfuls” available through Amazon!
Inspired by the flavors and aromas in wines, these books create “tempting spoonfuls” of flavors to pair with wines.
“Tempting Spoonfuls – Pairing single bites with glorious wines” – Our first book paired wines from boutique wineries on the west coast, in California, Oregon, and Washington, with delicious spoonfuls.
This book is 60 pages, 18 recipes, lots of beautiful photos, and insights into some fantastic small wineries!
“Tempting Spoonfuls – small bites paired with wines from around the Globe” – This book takes us around the globe to explore 12 wine regions, a wine from the region, and then gives you a recipe for a pairing!
A slightly larger book at 104 pages, this time you learn about pairing with a type of wine from a region. Rather than a specific bottle, you can look for a style of wine from a region and feel confident that it will go well with the recipe pairing we provide. We give you 12 recipes, each to pair with a wine.
The goal is to make your mouth water and encourage you to create your own “Tempting Spoonfuls.”
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