10 Top Tempranillo Red Wines

Having sat down and discussed wines recently with dad and then gone one to write the post The Best Wines To Serve with Meats At Christmas I thought I would write another wine post.  This is a mixed list of wines I’d love to try and others I like that you might like to try.

A Brief Back Story

Many many years ago my father owned a travel agency.  He specialised with holidays in Spain and Portugal.  As you can imagine he would be packing his bags often to meet up with this client and that client and would take him out to be wined and dined during business meetings and vice versa.

We would often go on holidays to Spain and Portugal and from a young age developed a love for the country and also the food.  Since then I have travelled to Spain and Portugal with others and enjoyed the sun, sea and foods and drinks that always seem to taste so much better in the country of origin being enjoyed in a chiringuito overlooking the sea or a picturesque area.  Fortunately, one thing we can take home with us or buy locally is wine.

Tempranillo Wines

One of the wines that would often feature on menus was Tempranillo (temp-ra-neo) wines.  The Tempranillo grape is the main red grape variety used in Rioja’s red wines.  It has a savoury flavour, with hints of leather, tobacco leaves, and fruit flavours including redcurrant, pomegranate, and mulberry.  Tempranillo is also grown in other counties where it is also very popular for making the distinctive red wines Gran Reserva wines which are really good.

The great thing is that there’s a red wine based on Tempranillo that will impress just about everyone no matter what your budget is.

Classic examples of Tempranillo wines include Rioja’s Gran Reserva wines which are really lovely and also very popular.

Tempranillo Wines Wish List

El Circo Tempranillo 2016, Cariñena – £7.99 (£6.99 until 31st Dec)

This wine really lets the drinker appreciate the full flavour of the grapes in the wine.  With overtones of cherry and blackberry this delicious fruity Tempranillo red wine is one that can easily enjoyed with a meal during the week.

Villa del Camino Rioja Joven 2016 – £7.99

Joven (meaning young) Rioja wines are fantastic to serve with various meals.  Wines like these in their first or second year of life are fresh primarily with fruity characteristics, rather than the complexity which comes from oak and age.

Maximo Tempranillo 2014, Castilla La Mancha – £7.99

La Mancha is the world’s largest grape-growing region.  That makes it the source of some exceptional value wines.  Here it’s red cherry that dominates, with a vanilla and tobacco note too.

Suelo Argentino Tempranillo-Malbec 2016, Malbec – £8.99 (£6.99 until 31st Dec)

The combination of Tempranillo and Malbec (grapes) result in a wine with more depth, colour, and robustness.  Plums meet cherries, with hints of spice in this remarkably good value South American red wine.  For an evening in try serving with a cheese and salami platter.

Faustino Rivero Ullecia Crianza 2013, Utiel-Requena – £8.99 (£6.99 until 31st Dec)

Some grape varieties blend well with others and others are best left to themselves.  Tempranillo works exceptionally well with others.  In the Utiel-Requena Spanish wine region, it is often blended with Bobal grapes.  The mix gives the wine a wonderful deep red colour and more rounded feel.

Villa del Camino Rioja Reserva 2010 – £12.99 (£11.69 until 31st Dec)

For a night in with friends, this can go down a treat.  The Rioja Reserva wines contain only the best quality grapes, with the wine aged for at least three years, of which one must be in cask, and six months in bottle (minimum).  This goes nicely with a selection of finger nibbles consisting of olives, nuts and various salamis and crudites.

Marqués de Burgos Roble 2014, Ribera del Duero – £13.99 (£11.89 until 31st Dec)

I do love Rioja wines but I also like to sample wines from other regions.  A dinner party introduced me to this particular wine.  Six months in French and American oak gives it a fine vanilla undertone, whilst Tempranillo from old vines adds a rich, bramble fruit character.

The Hedonist Tempranillo 2017, McLaren Vale – £16.49 (£14.79 until 31st Dec)

I have yet to try this but hope to soon.  It’s made in Australia’s McLaren Vale region.  Biodynamically farmed grapes produce a red wine that lives up to its name.  Sour cherry, hints of cinnamon, and finely-grained tannins combine in a superb example of Tempranillo.

Casa Ferreirinha Vinha Grande 2015, Douro – £16.95

Portugal also makes some pretty impressive Tempranillo-based wines.  This one is grand like its namesake.  It’s one of Portugal’s best red wines and I’m sure I’ve even sampled some in it’s home country.  It’s well priced, elegant, velvety and complex.  A great one for gifting and for enjoying at home.

Bodegas Navajas Rioja Gran Reserva 2010 – £19.99

As well as being made from the finest fruits these are aged for 60 months, at least two years in oak casks, and two years in bottle. This results in an exceptional complex wine.  The wine is well when matched with roast lamb as it helps bring out the flavour in both.  Why not give it a go next time you make lamb and see what I mean?

Which wine appeals to you the most from those mentioned?

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This Post Has 23 Comments

  1. Helen

    Oo delicious! I’ve recently got into wine and am starting to discover the different flavours that come from grape varieties 🙂

    1. admin

      That’s great. There is a big difference. You’ll soon discover your favourites.

  2. Sonia Cave

    This is so helpful. I’m so bad at choosing wines and when I find one I like I stick with it out of fear of trying another! This helps me to want to try them 🙂

    1. admin

      I’m so pleased you found the post useful Sonia. I hope you get to sample some lovely wines over Christmas.

  3. Talya

    Such a useful guide – I can find choosing wine a bit daunting so some really useful information here.

    1. admin

      It can be hard especially if you haven’t tried them yourself.

  4. Sonia

    Oh these all sound just lovely, my favourite I think would be The Hedonist, I love wines from the McLaren Vale region, they are always so deep and fruity x

    1. admin

      They are great aren’t they 🙂

  5. Cath - Passports and Adventures

    This guide is very helpful when I’m trying to buy a bottle of wine as a gift. I find the huge walls in front of me very confusing and never know what to pick up.

    1. admin

      It really can be hard to know what to get when there are so many on the shelves to pick from. I’ hoping you get to try something new from the guide. I’m sure you’ll love it x

  6. Katie

    Oh I love Tempranillo wine, it’s always my go to grab when I’m picking a red wine. I’ve always been partial to a Spanish red 🙂

    Katie xoxo

    1. admin

      Always a good go too x

  7. Emma Raphael

    Lots of lovely wines on this list. An expert once told me that most wine from the Douro region is good, so if i am stuck as to what to get, I tend to search with a bottle with that on the label. Will be popping over to your Christmas wine guide too. Thank you!

    1. admin

      No problem Emma. I’m glad you liked it and found it useful.

  8. Rebecca Smith

    This is such a handy guide. Steve really enjoys red wine so I may have to pick him up a couple.

  9. Eva Katona

    This is very useful – I didn’t know these small characteristic points matter so much when choosing a wine.

  10. Bella

    You’ll make a sommelier out of us yet! Fantastic guide to wine and perfect for this time of year!

  11. Kaz Dee

    This is a great post – thanks for all the info. My partner loves red wine, I will treat him to one of these! Kaz

  12. Laura Schwormstedt

    I have to say I do love a glass of Malbec although having grown up in South Africa I have a tendancy to lean towards South African reds, perfect at the end of a busy week with some good food

    Laura x

  13. Jennifer Gladwin

    This is so helpful! I’m useless with wine and never know where to start when choosing one!

    1. admin

      Glad you found the post helpful 🙂

  14. Samantha O'D

    Great guide, i have only recently started to enjoy red wine

    1. admin

      It’s interesting how many varieties are available.

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