While I like both red and white, I do have some favorites. My favorite red? Tempranillo. What is tempranillo? I’m so glad you asked…even though you didn’t.

It’s flavor just speaks to me…ok that sounded pretentious. It doesn’t have a bite like some red wines. It has that interesting berry flavor which fancy people call cassis, but I call black currant. OK, I can also taste the plum. Yay plum!

Maybe it’s because the grape is native to Spain and I have a few Spanish genes floating around in my DNA.
This particular tempranillo (in the above photo) comes from northern California, which has a climate similar to Spain, so it makes sense that said grape is being grown there.

Pairing Tempranillo

A few websites have called tempranillo a food friendly wine. I like the sound of that!  It pairs well with tomato based sauces, corn based food, and grilled foods.  You know my policy.  Drink it when you like it or when you think it would go well with something you’re going to eat.

It’s not a very dark colored wine. It’s probably right in the middle of the color scale, if there is such a thing.  It does remind me of a Cab or Sangiovese, both are wines I enjoy.

The meaning of Tempranillo

According to wine-searcher.com:

Tempranillo means ‘little early one’, a name given to it by Spanish grape growers who observed its habit of ripening earlier than Garnacha, its traditional Spanish blending partner.

Interesting! The tempranillo I was drinking comes from Plymouth, CA.  I know this because the bottle says it’s estate grown.  If any of these numbers interest you: Brix: 23.2, Acid: 0.47, and PH: 3.99.

If you are out at the wine shop, I highly suggest you pick up a bottle of tempranillo.  They usually aren’t extremely expensive and you might just enjoy it.

What’s your favorite wine?