Tempranillo

Pronounced: temprah-neel-yoh

History: Tempranillo is the key grape of most serious Spanish red wines, including Rioja, Ribera del Duero and the fine reds of Catalonia.

Description: Tempranillo produces wine of good colour, relatively low acidity and with an affinity for oak-ageing. The Tempranillo is low in tannin, so other grapes, such as Mazuelo and Cabernet Sauvignon, are sometimes added to the blend to compensate. Tempranillo provides a deeply coloured, dry, long-lasting wine with low levels of acid and alcohol. The palate does not have a marked varietal character and the juice is therefore often blended with Grenache,Garnacha, Mazuelo, Graciano and more recently Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.

Taste/Aromas: Produces wines low in acidity and alcohol. Hints of strawberry, plum, chocolate, smoke, coffee, tobacco and spice. Becomes earthy with age. Tempranillo varietal wines can vary from complex to light everyday wine.

Regions: The King Valley , the McLaren Vale, the Barossa tand Margaret River

Cellaring: Ages elegantly.

Food: Spanish, grilled meats, beef, lamb, tapas, olives, prawns, chirizio sausage, pasta dishes with red sauce, and spicy foods.