The Impact of the Tempranillo grape on Spanish Wine

This month Chris Losh looks at the impact of the Tempranillo grape on Spanish wines.

Yes, Spain might have a lot of Garnacha and growing numbers of Cabernets and Shirazes, but it's no exaggeration to say that for most Hispanophiles, Spanish wine means Tempranillo.

The grape grows pretty much all over the country, making wines in a variety of styles from the rustic to the poetic, from light to dense and chunky. And while debates might rage about the best direction for Spanish white wine, no one is contemplating a future without Tempranillo. Grow other grapes to blend with it, yes; but remove it? Never.

The grape probably performs at its best in Rioja and Ribera, where it forms the backbone of Spain's most famous wines. In Rioja it's planted across the region, but most densely in the cooler, higher lands of Rioja Alta and Rioja Alavesa, where it can ripen slowly and retain acidity and freshness.

Acidity is important to Tempranillo. It's a thin-skinned grape, so tannins tend to be on the light side. Part of Tempranillo's popularity with growers no doubt lies in its early-ripening, which means that it usually misses any autumn rains. For consumers (and winemakers) its advantage lies in its ability to deliver a reliable dollop of soft, red, strawberry fruit.

When it's overcropped (still a problem throughout Spain) it can be gentle but boring. When developed in the hands of a master, it can combine depth, complexity, perfume and ageability with a cheery approachability that Bordeaux (for the most part) can only dream of.

The downside of this is that (apart from a few stellar names) Spain's top 10% of wines don't attract the attention or the credit they deserve. The advantage, naturally, for restaurateurs, is that they can be both well-priced and drinkable at an earlier age than many of their fine wine counterparts.

Tempranillo works particularly well with Cabernet, where it's mid-palate softness performs the "Merlot role" of a classic claret, adding upfront fruit to Cabernet's structure. It's proved a big success in Ribera, but in regions like Rioja, though some producers do sneak a little into their blends, for the most part it's outlawed.

No such qualms in the New World, where some producers are starting to do really good things with it. It's always had a big presence in Argentina (where it's known as Tempranilla), but now the Chileans and the Aussies are starting to look at it, too.