Tempranillo

**Tempranillo** is a red grape and the backbone of Spanish fine wine, most famously in Rioja and Ribera del Duero, where it produces the country's most age-worthy reds. Its name nods to its habit of ripening early. **In the glass** — expect a medium-to-full red with aromas of red cherry, dried fig, leather and, when oak-aged, sweet vanilla and dill from American barrels. Tannins are firm but rounded, acidity moderate, and the wine gains a savoury, tobacco-like character with age. **Where it grows** — Rioja gives elegant, oak-scented wines; Ribera del Duero produces darker, more powerful ones. In Portugal it turns up as Tinta Roriz and Aragonez, a key player in Port and Douro reds, and it has spread to Australia, Argentina and beyond. **At the table** — a natural partner for roast lamb, chorizo and other grilled or cured meats. **Cellaring** — the best Gran Reserva bottlings reward a decade or two, though everyday styles drink beautifully within a few years.

Wines

• 10 Year Old Tawny Port — Taylor Fladgate
• 10 Years Old Tawny Port — Sociedade Agricola Quinta do Javali, Lda
• Aalto — Aalto
• Altano Rewilding Edition Douro Tinto — Symington Family Estates
• Altares Tinto — Bodega Alto Miraflores
• Aluado — Aluado
• Animus Douro — Vicente Faria Wines
• Artesa Tempranillo — California
• Barca Velha — Ferreira (Sogrape)
• Barón Ladrón de Guevara De Autor Crianza — Valdelana
• Biberius — Comenge
• Castillo de Poto Gran Reserva — Fernando Castro
• Cepas Viejas Reserva Tempranillo — Pata Negra
• Churchill's Vintage Port Quinta da Agua Alta — Churchill Graham Lda
• Classic — Bodegas Langa
• Club Privado — Barón de Ley
• Codice — Bodegas Mustiguillo
• Codice — Codice
• Colección Privada Tempranillo — Artero
• Colheita — Dow's