Let’s celebrate International Tempranillo Day!

It's never too early to celebrate International Tempranillo Day — that’s sort of a pun. Let me explain.

Tempranillo is the king grape of Spain. Mainly known for outstanding wines from the Rioja region, it is grown throughout the country with various degrees of quality from the aforementioned top-notch Rioja to the everyday Castilla y Leon. Tempranillo gets its name from the fact that it’s an early ripening grape; “temprano” means early in Spanish. And we are back full circle to International Tempranillo Day, which is celebrated officially on September 1st but unofficially we can start right now.

Here’s a list of some interesting and outstanding Tempranillos from its Spanish homeland and from the New World.

This article appears in Aug 18-24, 2011.