A Tempranillo
varietal wine in a glass, showing typically intense purple
coloring
The grape was brought to America, possibly as seeds, with the
Spanish Conquistadors in the 17th century, where it has largely
retained its genetic identity and still strongly resembles its
Spanish ancestors. Due to its high susceptibility to pests and
diseases (particularly phylloxera which devastated stocks in the
19th century and still threatens the vines today), Spanish
Tempranillo has long been grafted onto more resistant rootstock,
resulting in a slightly different grape style to those grown today
in Chile and Argentina. Despite its apparent fragility,
Tempranillo travelled widely during the last century and,
following much trial and error, has become established in a
surprising number of countries worldwide.
In 1905, Frederic Bioletti brought
Tempranillo to California where it received a cool reception not
only due to the encroaching era of Prohibition, but also because
of the grape's dislike of hot, dry climates. It was much later,
during the 1980s, that Californian Tempranillo-based wine
production began to flourish, following the establishment of
suitably mountainous sites. Production in this area more than
doubled since 1993.
Tempranillo is currently enjoying a renaissance in wine production
worldwide. This surge began partly as a result of the efforts of a
'new wave' of Spanish growers who showed that it was possible to
produce wines of great character and quality in areas outside of
the Rioja region. One of the results of this has been that
Tempranillo varietal wines are becoming more common, especially in
the better-suited, cooler Spanish regions like Ribera del Duero,
Navarra and Penedès. During the last decade, growers as far-flung
as Australia, USA and South Africa have started significant
Tempranillo plantations.
[edit] White mutant
In 1988, Jesús Galilea Esteban found a cluster of white grapes on
one of the Tempranillo vines in his vineyard, Murillo de Rio Leza,
located in Rioja. He removed the cluster, leaving a heel which in
turn produced two buds of white grapes. Galilea then contacted the
Rioja government agency CIDA, who grafted the buds at their
research station in February 1989.
Tempranillo vines in Garraf province, Penedès region
CIDA concluded that apart from the leaves and fruit being a little
smaller, the new plants were identical to normal Tempranillo in
most respects, and confirmed this with DNA evidence. The most
notable difference was that the grape skins were green-yellow
rather than the usual blue-black, due to a natural mutation in a
single skin colour gene. Similar mutations appear to have happened
in many other grape varieties, such as Pinot Noir and Grenache.
The white Tempranillo grape reproduces asexually through the one
unique sarmentum and multiplication. This allows for identical
genes, much like a clone. In fact, the genetic similarity between
the red and white variety is of 97.8%. Both grapes share identical
leaves, clusters and grape form, as well as the short ripening
cycles and sensitivity to pests and diseases. The early ripening
cycles makes possible its cultivation in any subzone of the
Denominatin since the entire cycle can be completed even in the
zones where ripening occurs later. The white tempranillo has a
medium yield (7.500 - 9.000 kilos per acre), medium to high vine
vigor and high alcohol content. Although it has many clusters,
they are small and of medium weight. It has an acidity of 6.9 pH.
CIDA, once the mutation had stabilized, expanded their collection
to 100 vines in 1993, and started to make wine on an experimental
scale. The first bottling of wine was in 2005, from a hectare of
vines planted in 2000. It was fermented in stainless steel tanks
and aged in oak barrels. The green-tinged wine had discreet aromas
of flowers and tropical fruit such as pineapple, refreshing to
drink but lacking a little in acidity. White Tempranillo is
currently being distributed to growers having been registered with
the State and approved for use in the Rioja D.O.Ca.
Separately, and not to be confused with the white mutant strain,
the Pago del Vicario winery, in Ciudad Real in La Mancha, is
producing an unusual "blanc de noir"-style wine from black
tempranillo grapes. The pale steely yellow "Blanco de Tempranillo"
is produced by using grapes picked slightly early than their usual
harvest time, and minimizing the amount of time the juice is in
contact with the skins.
Regions
Old world production
Tempranillo grape clusters on the vine
Tempranillo is native to northern Spain and widely cultivated as
far south as La Mancha. The two major regions that grow
Tempranillo are Rioja in North Central Spain and Ribera del Duero,
which lies a little further to the south. Substantial quantities
are also grown in the Penedès, Navarra and Valdepeñas regions. The
grape plays a role in the production of wines in two regions of
Portugal, central Alentejo and Douro. In Alentejo Central it is
known as
Aragonêz and used in red table wine blends of variable
quality, while in the Douro it is known as Tinta Roriz and mainly
used in blends to make port wine.
[edit] New World production
The varietal is extensively grown in Argentina, Chile, and Mexico
It was introduced to Uruguay in 1994 by Los Cerros de San Juan
Vineyards and Winery, where the first marketable harvest took
place in 1999. Fermentation is in American oak barrels. There are
also some plantings in Neiba, Dominican Republic.
Tempranillo came to California bearing the name Valdepenas and it
was grown in the Central Valley at the turn of the century. Since
the climate of the Central Valley was not ideal for the grape, it
was hard for the varietal to flourish. It could not reach its true
potential and was used as a blending grape for jug wine.
California has since started to use this varietal again for fine
wines. The grape was introduced in Oregon by Earl Jones of Abacela
Vineyards and Winery in the Umpqua Valley. Tempranillo is
Abacela's main varietal and it has also been produced in New
Mexico, where Tularosa Vineyards was the first winery to label the
wine as Tempranillo in 2001.[17] Inwood Estates Vineyards in Texas
also has their Cornelious, a very fine 100% Tempranillo, along
with some other blends using Tempranillo.
Tempranillo is also grown in many Australian wine regions
including McLaren Vale, the Adelaide Hills, Wrattonbully and in
Western Australia. There are now over 100 Australian wineries
making wine from this variety.
Tempranillo has recently been introduced by some wine producers in
Thailand.
[edit] Viticulture and uses
Tempranillo is a black grape with a thick skin. It grows best at
relatively high altitudes, but it also can tolerate a much warmer
climate.[18] With regard to Tempranillo's production in various
climates, wine expert Oz Clarke notes.
“ To get elegance and acidity out of Tempranillo, you need a cool
climate. But to get high sugar levels and the thick skins that
give deep color you need heat. In Spain these two opposites are
best reconciled in the continental climate but high altitude of
the Ribera del Duero.[19] ”
Mature Tempranillo grape cluster with characteristic blue-black
coloring
In the Ribera del Duero the average July temperature is around
21.4° Celsius (70.5° Fahrenheit), though temperatures in the
middle of the day in the lower valley can jump as high as 40°C
(104°F). At night the region experiences a dramatic diurnal
temperature variation with temperatures dropping by as much as 16
°C (30 °F) from the daytime high. The Tempranillo grape is one of
the few grapes that can adapt and thrive in continental
Mediterranean climates like this.
Diseased immature Tempranillo
grape cluster suffering from oxidization and beginning to
dehydrate
The lower acidity associated with low-altitude growth is most
often remedied by blending with higher acid grapes, such as
Graciano in Rioja.[22] Pests and diseases are a serious problem
for this grape variety, since it has little resistance to either.
The grape forms compact, cylindrical bunches of spherical,
purplish black fruit with a colourless pulp. The fruit is very
dark in colour and forms a bead-like sphere, hence its Catalan
name of Ull de Llebre ("Eye of the Hare").
The tempranillo root absorbs Potassium easily, which facilitates
pH levels of 3.6 in the pulp and 4.3 in the peel when it reaches
maturity. When it absorbs too much potassium the must is salified
(increased levels of salt) which slows the disappearance of malic
acid resulting in a higher pH. The peel does not present any
herbaceous characters. The grape is very susceptible to inclement
weather, contracting when there is a drought and swelling when
there is too much humidity. The swelling has a negative effect on
quality since it affects the color of the wine. The effects of the
weather are attenuated in places with limestone because of the
effect of the clay and humidity in the roots; the effects are
worse in sandy areas, as well as for vines that are less than
twelve years old, as the roots are generally too superficial.
Often making up as much as 90% of a blend, Tempranillo is less
frequently bottled as a single varietal. Being low in both acidity
and sugar content, it is most commonly blended with Grenache
(known as Garnacha in Spain), Carignan (known as Mazuela in
Spain), Graciano, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. Blending the
grape with Carignan makes a brighter and more acidic wine.
Tempranillo is the major component of the typical Rioja blends and
constitutes 90-100% of Ribera del Duero wines. In Australia,
Tempranillo is blended with Grenache and Syrah. In Portugal, where
it is known as Tinta Roriz, it is a major grape in the production
of some Port wines. |
