Tempranillo is the premium red wine grape variety from the Rioja region in Spain. But now Tempranillo wine is being made in many Australian wine regions from the Granite Belt to the King Valley to McLaren Vale and the Barossa to Geographe and Margaret River. The variety is now challenging Sangiovese varietal as the up and coming star of the red varietal wine scene in Australia. Tempranillo -Excellent firm dry reds.

Tempranillo wines are ruby red in colour, while aromas and flavours can include berries, plum, tobacco, vanilla, leather and herb.Often making up as much as 90% of a blend, Tempranillo is less frequently bottled as a single varietal. Being low in both acidity and sugar content, it is most commonly blended with Grenache (known as Garnacha in Spain), Carignan (known as Mazuela in Spain), Graciano, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Blending the grape with Carignan makes a brighter and more acidic wine. Tempranillo is the major component of the typical Rioja blends and constitutes 90-100% of Ribera del Duero wines. In Australia, Tempranillo is blended with Grenache and Shiraz, also known as Syrah. In Portugal, where it is known as Tinta Roriz, it is a major grape in the production of some Port wines.