29 posts
The Patón-Clemente brand operates in the La Mancha D.O. region of central Spain. Not only is La Mancha the largest wine-growing region in Spain, it’s the largest wine growing region in the world! La Mancha features a hot, dry continental climate wit...
Tempranillo 🍷 Photo by Holger Casselmann on Wikimedia Commons Tempranillo is a red wine grape with a history that dates back over 2,000 years, likely introduced to Spain by the Phoenicians. The name comes from the Spanish word “temprano,” meanin...
Bodegas Faustino Rivero Ulecia is part of a five-generation winemaking family that started back in 1899. The winery was founded in 1899 by Olegario Rivero. It operated locally for decades selling bulk wine. Then, in the 1940s, the winery, known as...
In Spanish wine, Crianza is a regulated aging classification that literally translates to “breeding” or “nurturing”. It is the second tier of aged wine in Spain’s quality system, sitting between young, un-aged wines (Joven) and more heavily aged wine...
Olarra Clásico Gran Reserva 2016 is a well-regarded Spanish red wine from the Rioja region of Spain. With a history dating back 50 years, Bodegas Olarra base their wines on the ideal selection of the raw material, on the traditional winemaking metho...
This wine was bottled for Bodegas Ondarre, located in the Rioja region of Spain. It is a “Gran Reserva” wine which means that it was aged for a minimum of five years in oak and bottle with a minimum of 2 years in oak and a minimum of 3 years in the b...
Puerta de Plata (i.e., Silver Door) wine is produced in Spain and bottled by Terra Cellars. It is made from 60% Tempranillo and 40% Garnacha. A bit of on-line searching seems to indicate this wine was aged for 12 months in American and French oak...
November 14th is International Tempranillo Day! Here are three really nice Tempranillo wines from Gonzalez Byass: 2016 Beronia Gran Reserva ($29.00) A Gran Reserva from Rioja, like this one, spends a minimum of two years aging in oak and three ye...
Red-blend wines are some of the best in the world. This is a red blend from Bouza, is produced in the southern region of Montevideo in Uruguay. The name, Monte Vide Eu, loosely translates to “I see a hill” which is attributed to a sailor on expediti...
Bodegas Volver creates wines in regions of Spain such as Alicante, La Mancha, Jumilla, Rueda, Valencia and soon Rías Baixas. It is differentiated by its modern approach of working with indigenous varieties. The winery was founded in 2004 by Rafael C...
The grapes used in the production of this Rioja Reserva come from a selection of vines of more than 30 years of age located in LAN’s Viña Lanciano estate. It is produced from 90% Tempranillo, 8% Graciano and 2% Mazuelo. It is fermented in small stai...
2012 LAN Rioja Reserva Recently I featured LAN Rioja Crianza as the Behind the Cork™ wine of the week. Now we step it up to the LAN Rioja Reserva. This Rioja is from vineyards in the Rioja Alta and Alavesa subzones with an average age of vines bein...
2016 Bodegas LAN Crianza This Bodegas LAN Crianza is from Spain’s famous Rioja region that is best known for its Tempranillo that is a full-bodied wine that is typically high in tannin. The winery’s name LAN represents the initials of the DOCa prov...
This Dominio Fournier Reserva is from Ribera del Duero in Spain. It is produced from 100% Tinta del País grapes which are more commonly known as Tempranillo. The grapes come from the terraced sides of the Duero River which winds through more than tw...
This Fournier Crianza is from Ribera del Duero in Spain. It is produced from 100% Tinta del País grapes which are more commonly known as Tempranillo. The grapes come from the terraced sides of the Duero River which winds through more than two kilome...
This beautiful wine is from Ribera del Duero, located in the village of Villalba del Duero, in the province of Burgos, Spain. The 182-acre estate vineyard was planted in 2002 mostly with Tempranillo. The three stars on the label represent the three ...
The Rioja region of Spain is famous for its wine that are based on Tempranillo. This Gran Reserva offering from Beronia is comprised of 97% Tempranillo with 3% Graciano. Tempranillo means “little early one”, a name given to it by Spanish growers who...
This is another wonderful offering from the Navarra region of Spain. This rosé of Garnacha (70%) and Tempranillo (30%) is bright cherry red in color and has a beautifully soft mouth-feel. This rosé is produced by maceration, or “bleeding” of the gr...
This wonderful Cune rosé is from the Rioja region of Spain and is made from their famous Tempranillo. The bright red color of this Cune rosé is spectacular. And, hence, it’s big Maraschino cherry and ripe strawberry flavors are no surprise. These g...
This was an unexpected recent find. A Tempranillo from Spain. And, it’s a Crianza. This style of Rioja is required to be aged for one year in oak and spend one year in the bottle before being sold. This extra aging takes the bright red fruit flavor ...
This was a recent find. And, in true fashion for a Behind the Cork™ wine feature, it’s a great value! This is blend of 80% Tempranillo, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Grenache. And it’s a tasty blend. The Tempranillo and Cab give this blend some ...
From the northern Spanish wine region of Navarra comes this 100% Tempranillo. It is one of six signature wines from Javier Ochoa. Being a “Crianza” it has been aged for 12 months in American oak and then spends at least one year in the bottle. The...
This Rioja from Beronia is produced with 95% Tempranillo, 4% Graciano (known as Morrastel in Languedoc) and 1% Mazuelo (a.k.a. Carignan). Being a ‘Reserva’ in Rioja means that this wine is required to be aged for at least one year in oak and then sp...
The Rioja region of Spain is noted for its Tempranillo and this one from Beronia is indeed noteworthy. This is a typical Rioja blend of grapes consisting of 91% Tempranillo, 8% Garnacha and 1% Mazuelo (a.k.a Carignan). The Tempranillo in this win...
This Rioja Reserva is a blend of 90% Tempranillo, 5% Granacha and 5% Graciano. It’s grown in vineyards located near the heart of La Rioja, surrounded by the Sierra de Cantabria mountain and the river Ebro. A Rioja Reserva wine must spend a minimum ...
I saved the best for last! In previous Behind the Cork™ - Wine of the Week reviews I’ve featured Matsu’s “El Picaro” and “El Recio” wines, both of which are very nice Tempranillos from the Toro region of Spain. But, “El Viejo” is Matsu’s finest. Wh...
This is the second in the lineup of 100% Tempranillos from Matsu. This one also comes from the D.O. Toro in north-western Spain. The grapes used in this wine come from 90 to 100 year old vineyards that are manually harvested. After being softly pres...
From the D.O. Toro in Spain, this 100% Tinta de Toro is grown in 50 to 70 year old vineyards and manually harvested. It is fermented in concrete with natural yeasts. Matsu pays homage on their labels to those that have been working the vineyards. A...
Abadia Retuerta first started producing wines in Spain in 1996. The winery and surrounding vineyards are on the former site of the 12th century Santa Maria de Retuerta Monastery in Sardón de Duero. This land is just west of “The Golden Mile,” a privi...