This is Spain's most important grape variety, and is at the heart of its most famous wine, Rioja. In northern Portugal Tempranillo is called Tinta Roriz, and it is a key blending varietal for port, the classic fortified wine.
When young this grape bursts with cherry flavours, but after ageing in oak barrels, the wines take on more earthy, sweet vanilla flavours. Its aromas and flavours often combine elements of berry fruit, herbaceousness, and an earthy-leathery minerality. Rarely bottled as a stand-alone varietal, it is most frequently blended with Grenache, (its minority blending partner in Rioja), and, more recently, Cabernet Sauvignon.
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