WineLife365

Posts Tagged ‘Tempranillo’

Tempra Tantrum is the newest label from Spain’s Osborne Group and is imported by Underdog Wine Merchants.  The Osborne Group has been crafting fine sherry, brandy, wine and liqueur since 1772.   The group’s new line-up of Tempra Tantrum wines is the creation of Ms. Rocio Osborne.  Rocio’s philosophy for these new and modern style Spanish wines is to “promote the soft, generous fruitiness of the grapes, while retaining just the right amount of structure and complexity unique to the vineyards and soil of the Tierra de Castilla.”  Rocio refers to this philosophy as a “Nuevo Vino” approach.

From the first sip of the 2009 Tempra Tantrum Tempranillo (60%) / Shiraz (40%) blend (Sample, $12 MSRP), one gets a sense of Rocio’s “Nuevo Vino” approach.  With its bright and sweet, raspberry, strawberry, and subtle spice flavors – this wine is very approachable.  In particular, I can see this red wine being a big hit with people who say, “I don’t drink red wine because they’re way too dry.”  In these situations, soft and fruit-driven red wines like Beaujolais or Beaujolais Nouveau are often recommended as a primer for red wine initiates, but I’d have no problem recommending this Spanish red as well. However, with its fruity sweetness, I was not left with thoughts of Tantrums…rather, a mild sulk.

2 Stars out of 4 for the 2009 Tempra Tantrum Tempranillo/Shiraz blend.

Quick – What’s the first place you think of when you hear or see the word Tempranillo?  Spain…right?!  Ok, now give me another place….click, click, click.  That’s the buzzer – time’s up!!  If you need a hint, Meghan from the lip-smacking, finger-lickin-good blog, called Travel Eat Love offers up a tasty suggestion worth considering!    

Tell us about it Meghan…

On my very first trip to Northern California this past September (there have been 3 since, I guess I kinda liked it!), the very first winery that we visited was Gundlach Bundschu.  We were actually staying in San Francisco and decided to drive up to Sonoma last minute, so we had no plan in mind at all.  A guidebook lent to me by a coworker had Gundlach Bundschu, or GunBun as one of the best and oldest wineries to visit, and since it was close by we decided to visit.

GunBun was a lucky first choice, and between the delicious wines that we tasted and the very friendly tasting room staff, we were wine club members by the time we left.  One of my favorite things about the wine clubs that we belong to (currently GunBun, Castello di Amorosa, and Travessia) is the element of surprise. I often forget when wine is coming, and it is always a treat to come back from a meeting to an unexpected box of wine in my office!  I tend to open the box of wine right away and enjoy reading the labels and any correspondence included from the winery, in addition to looking up the wines online so I can know what to expect.

Photo Courtesy of Travel Eat Love

One of our most recent wine club “surprises” was a bottle of 2007 Estate Grown Tempranillo.  Here’s a little information about the 2007 Tempranillo from the GunBun website:

Vineyard Rhinefarm Estate Vineyard
Estate grown, produced and bottled
Huichica clay-loam topsoil with light stream gravel deposits
One 4.6-acre vineyard block of Tempranillo
Clone UC Davis 2
Yield 2.4 tons/acre
Winemaking
Harvest Date: September 2007
Brix at Harvest: 24.5°
Vinification: Harvested by hand in the cool morning hours
Yeast strain EC1118
Concurrent primary and malolactic fermentation
Fermented 14 days with twice-daily, gentle pump-overs
Lightly filtered to bottle
Oak Regimen: 14 months in 100% American oak (35% new)

Photo Courtesy of Travel Eat Love

We opened this wine on a recent weekend evening and immediately noticed the pop of juiciness and the dark berry red color.  Like all of the Gundlach Bundschu wines I have tasted, the Tempranillo was full of concentrated flavor.  This wine offers smooth but noticeable tannins and a little bit of smokiness along with the dark berry flavors that give it a lovely lingering finish.  It was remarkably MORE delicious about 24 hours after opening, a great sipping wine and one that would also likely go well with grilled meats at a summer barbeque.

If you have the chance to try Gundlach Bundschu wines, I am also a huge fan of their Gewurztraminer, Rosé, Pinot Noir, and their Mountain Cuvée.

Happy wine drinking! 

For more of Meghan’s wine and food adventures, visit Travel Eat Love.  Just don’t go there too hungry!

From: Spain

Price: 10.99

So I have to tell you – I didn’t think that it was possible to find a Spanish dud from the Ribera Del Duero wine growing region in Spain.  I have a personal fondness for red wines that are produced in the Ribera Del Duero.  The climate in this Spanish region can be described as hot days and cool nights with moderate rains.  This type of climate makes for ideal growing conditions for tempranillo, the most widely planted red grape in Spain.

I love Spanish Tempranillo wines for their awesome ripe cherry flavor.  The winemakers that work with this grape know how to precisely integrate oak and spices to really make them enjoyable, food-friendly wines.

However, in my opinion, the 2006 Torremoron Tinto is a very poor display of the type of Tempranillo wine that one can purchase at this price level.  I found this Spanish Tinto to be rather bland, with nothing going on in the way of spices.  It was simply tasteless and boring.  Unfortunately, I’d have to say that the 2006 Torremoron Tinto is one of the worst Spanish red wines that I’ve tried in a while.

WineLife365 Rating: 1-Star

Tempranillo (tem-prah-NEE-yoh; tem-prah-NEE-lyoh)

The Tempranillo grape is Spain’s best known and most widely grown red grape.   Tempranillo takes well to both oak and bottle aging. This native Spanish red grape is often blended with other red grapes such as Grenache, Cabernet Sauvignon and Monastrell (another native Spanish red grape). Tempranillo wines typically have flavors and aromas of dried cherries and other spices.

When shopping for Spanish Tempranillo red wine, look for the wine label to list one of the following Spanish regions on it:

1.)    Rioja

2.)    Ribera del Duero

3.)    Toro

4.)    Valdepenas

5.)    Penedes

Portugal also grows a considerable amount of Tempranillo grapes.  Look for the Portuguese wine label to say the “Duoro” or possibly the “Dão”.

Tempranillo is also found in Argentina, France, and the United States.