Tempranillo on the up and up

Tempranillo is the red wine variety that is the Spanish equivalent of Cabernet Sauvignon. The excellence of the top wines from Rioja and Ribera del Duero are testament to its potential. In the past it has also made an awful lot of awful wine in Spain. Recently it has attracted the attention of Australia's wine growers and winemakers to the extent that it is now the fastest growing of the hundred or so winegrape varieties in Australia.

There are over fifty growers of Tempranillo in Australia. Nearly all exiting Australian vineyards are of young vines. The optimum climate, vineyard and winery parameters in Australia are still unknown. The variety is grown in about thirty of Australia's sixty or so wine regions. Expect plenty more experimentation, and steadily improving quality and consistency.

Check out some more about this new wave wine Tempranillo