What To Drink Now: Tempranillo

Happy Tempranillo Day!  Yep, today we celebrate the 4th most largely planted grape in the world.  Most people know Tempranillo as the youthful, jammy and often overly extracted red from the Rioja region of Spain, but Tempranillo goes far beyond the Rioja borders, creating dense, earthy and intense reds from the Ribera Del Duero region, to the refined, powerful, often tannic reds of  Toro, to the covering the vast vineyards of La Mancha, to traveling outside of Spain into Portugal, Turkey, South and North America and Australia.  It can be tricky to identify the Tempranillo variety just by looking at a bottle though, as each region, and often each village within that region, in Spain has adapted their own style of Tempranillo, and call it by different names, like Cencibel in La Mancha, Tinta de Toro in Toro, Tinta del País in Ribera del Duero and Tinto Fino in other areas.

No matter what you call it, it is a variety that will produce world class, highly acclaimed wines with character, personality, a true sense of place and when stored properly, will age beautifully.  Here are a few great Tempranillo wines to consider that are high quality and an incredible value.  A few selections were sent for editorial consideration.

On Monday James Tidwell, MS, CWE, of The Four Seasons Resort at Las Colinas and Melissa Monosoff, MS, of Pioneer Wines joined the Drink Ribera campaign, leading a seminar on the wines of Ribera del Duero, discussing the region, the wines and the nuances of the area, especially meaningful as the duo had recently returned from a trip to the region.  Discussing the topography and the climate of the region really drove home how and why the wines of this region are so special, as very hot days yield to very cool nights, allowing big, intensely fruit filled, sun ripened wines to be matched with high, yet balanced acidity that keeps the wine vibrant and though high in tannin, are approachable young and will just get better with age.  A few selections from the region we tried throughout the day stood out, including a favorite from Monosoff, an intensely earthy and robust yet beautifully balanced Vinedos Y Bodega Aster S.L Crianza 2006. Filled with mushroom, leather and tobacco were mixed with ripe black cherry and blackberry. Continue reading "What To Drink Now: Tempranillo"