Tonight 7 pm – Join Us for International Tempranillo Day Twitter Tasting
Well, wake up and get out of bed! It’s International Tempranillo Day!
People around the world rejoice. Tempranillo (the national red grape of Spain) is also finding a new second home…Texas. Texas (with its arid hilly wine country, plethora of grilled meats and newly planted acres of olive trees) and Tempranillo (the tannic red wine with Iberian roots) is an excellent pairing.
Tonight for the Tempranillo Day festivities, I will have a group of wine aficionados together for a tasting in Houston that features some of what I feel are the best Texas wines based on homegrown Tempranillo grapes. More details at: https://vintagetexas.com/?p=15093
My 2014 Texas Tempranillo wine selections are:
- Llano Estacado Winery 2012 Texas High Plains Tempranillo – Tempranillo79% harvested from the Reddy Vineyard and the Newsom Vineyard and Mourvèdre from Reddy Vineyard, all grapes from the Texas High Plains; shows moderate tannic structure, red berries, plums, and cedar.
- Pedernales Cellars 2012 Tempranillo Reserve – Artfully made with dark cherry earth, truffle, tobacco with firm tannins and a smooth finish.
- Duchman Family Winery 2011 Tempranillo Bayer Family Vineyards (Texas High Plains) – Crafted single-vineyard wine with smooth mouthfeel, aromatic smokey notes, red berry and soft “Pinotesque” finish. This is a sipping wine, too.
- Lewis Wines 2011 Parr Vineyards Tempranillo (Texas Hill Country) – 100% Tempranillo sourced from Parr Vineyards west of Mason, the Pinot Noir of Tempranillos, medium body, aromatic with red berry, beet root, hint of cigarette smoke, even a floral note with a lingering finish.
- Spicewood Vineyards 2012 Estate Tempranillo (Texas Hill Country) – 96% Tempranillo balance Cabernet Sauvignon; extracted tart red berry and dark fruit, layered with moist earth, leather and smoke.
Pick up a bottle Texas Tempranillo at your nearest market (Spec’s, Total Wine, Central Market or Whole Foods). If your empty handed still, pick up a Spanish Tempranillo (Rioja Crianza, Reserva or Gran Reserva) or Tempranillo blend. Then, taste, tweet (tag with #TXwine and #TempranilloDay) and follow the action. It is a good way to compare notes and contrast wine styles while see what others have to say about Texas Tempranillo and Tempranillo wines worldwide.
Texas, BBQ and Tempranillo is a grand pairing. See what Forbes Magazine has to say about it: Click here.
