Tempranillo

Also known as

Aragonez, Tinta de Toro, Tinta Roriz, Tinto Fino

Tempranillo is a black-skinned wine grape that originated in Spain, most likely in the Ebro River Valley of the northeast. Genetic studies confirm it arose from a natural cross between Albillo Mayor and Benedicto, a forgotten variety, and it has been grown on the Iberian Peninsula since the time of Phoenician settlements. It travels under many local names: Tinto Fino, Cencibel and Ull de Llebre, and Aragonez or Tinta Roriz in Portugal.

Today Spain grows about 88% of the world's Tempranillo and is the country's most planted red-skinned variety, with important plantings in Rioja, Ribera del Duero, Toro, Navarra, and Valdepeñas. Portugal's Douro and Dão regions are also significant, and the variety appears in Argentina, Australia, France, the United States, and elsewhere.

The wines are savoury rather than overtly fruity. Young examples show red cherry, strawberry, and plum, while aged versions pick up tobacco leaf, leather, vanilla, and spice, especially after time in oak. Tempranillo is often blended with Garnacha, Mazuelo, and Graciano; in Portugal it is used for both dry reds and Port.