The king and queen of Spanish grape varieties, wine writer Joelle Thomson says Tempranillo’s character is smooth, bright and fruity. The potential of dark, black olive and mocha complexity is what gives this wine its wow factor - here are some of her favourite Tempranillos to enjoy this winter.
Mesta Organic Tempranillo $17
Mesta wines can do no wrong in the eyes of editor Trudi Brewer; she's a massive fan of the Mesta Organic Tempranillo Rose. With this Tempranillo, the fruit is the hero in this 2019 smooth, berry-infused, spicy little red. It tastes like biting into a fresh red plum and enjoying its ripe, sun-warmed flesh from the first sip. These complex flavour notes come from the stewed red fruit flavours and spice of the Tempranillo grape, which was fermented in stainless steel to make this wine and preserve its vibrant fruity flavours. There is no oak used in this winemaking, and the wine comes from grapes grown on organically certified vineyards in Uclés in Castile, Spain, where the vines are grown as part of an integrated ecosystem.
Graze with: paprika salted warm almonds and Spanish goats cheese
Serve with: Patatas bravas, chorizo and chicken cooked in paprika
Rating: 17.5/20.
“Tempranillo comes from the Spanish word Temprano, which means early, apt because this wine variety buds early in spring and ripens early in autumn. As a result, it has big bunches of small, thick-skinned grapes with relatively big yields. With over 206,000 hectares in that country’s entire vineyard area, making it the most planted red grape variety and the second most overall after the little known Spanish white grape, Airen.”
Elephant Hill Hawke's Bay Earth Tempranillo $85
Elephant Hill winery is on the coast at Te Awanga, south of Napier, but the winemakers there source the grapes for this wine at the Bridge Pa Triangle on the western side of Hawke's Bay's Heretaunga Plains. The grapes in this 2015 red were hand-harvested and fermented in small batches and fermented in a combination of traditional open-top oak curves and stainless open-top fermenters. The wine includes 25 per cent of whole bunches, which accentuate the juicy dark fruit flavours in this lovely soft and approachable but full-bodied rosy red. It's incredibly impressive in structure, and it's incredible taste.
Graze with: warm sourdough with olive oil and vinegar
Serve with: pork with paprika
Rating: 18.5/20.
Telmo Rodriguez Dehesa Gago $23
Earthy, dry and dark in flavour, this 2017 powerfully structured, full-bodied Tempranillo comes from Toro DO in Spain. The wine was one of Telmo Rodrigeuz's first wines labels when released in 1999 and made from the chalky limestone soils with large pebbles near Morales de Toro, north of Toro. Its complexity comes from the chocolatey, dark berry fruit flavours, combined with fermentation in large concrete, steel and old oak vats. The ageing process is done purely in stainless steel, which preserves the freshness of that dark blackberry and black olive flavours. It is powerful, impressive and satisfyingly rich in flavour; this dry, affordable Tempranillo over-delivers consistently each year.
Graze with: black olives and aged cheddar or a mild sheep's cheese
Serve with: slow-roasted pork with mushrooms
Rating: 18.5/20.
