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THE
names roll off the tongue with ease: merlot, cabernet
sauvignon, shiraz. And whether on their own or part of a
blend, these familiar reds owe their accessibility to
the multiplicity of examples available from producers
all over the world. From their roots in France to
vineyards as far apart as Lebanon and Chile, these
varieties have been designated classic, producing wines
of considerable quality in the places where they are
grown. The surfeit of choices in a variety of styles at
all price levels has led the way to the other side of
the fence, where lie the less familiar zinfandel,
carmenère, malbec or tempranillo—grape varieties that
shine best in their particular enclaves. Tempranillo,
for one, has been making inroads into the consciousness
of wine drinkers everywhere, thanks in part to a new
wave of Spanish winemakers and revitalized wineries who
continue to turn out stunning wines also covering a wide
spectrum of styles and prices.
Spain is
tempranillo’s ancestral home and here it is the
predominant grape, lending itself to the creation of the
country’s greatest red wines. Its name is derived from
temprano, Spanish for early, as it ripens earlier than
other grape varieties. Cultivated mainly in the northern
and central part of Spain, it swings both ends of the
continuum, capable of silky, svelte wines in some
regions like Rioja or Valdepeñas; or hefty, dense
stunners in others like Toro and Ribera del Duero. This
adaptability makes tempranillo an important ingredient
in blends, and while it is frequently blended with
garnacha, its partnering with merlot and/or cabernet
sauvignon is now on the rise throughout Spain, as in
Castilla La Mancha and Navarra. Its flavor profile
extends to the ripe juiciness of cherries and
strawberries, touched up with spice, leather, tobacco
and dark chocolate.
Thanks
to a core of importers and distributors of Spanish wines
in the Philippines, there is a wide variety of
tempranillo-based now available in Manila’s wine shops
and restaurants. Vega Sicilia’s Unico, Valbuena and
Alion top the list (available at Terry Selection) both
in quality and in price, but there are a lot of less
pricey examples to choose from. I’ve asked my drinking
buddies to list their tempranillo-based picks under
P1,000.
From
Arnie del Rosario, a member of the L’Ordre Mondiale:
§
Conde de
Siruela Ribera del Duero Tinto - P550 (at Barcino)
§
Peñafiel
Ribera del Duero Joven Roble - P550 (at Barcino)
§
Altos de
Tamaron Ribera del Duero - P650 (at Ralph’s)
§
Pago
Florentina (made by Arzuaga) - P750 (at Wine Depot)
§
Condado
de Haza or Dehesa la Granja - P900 (at Werdenberg/Santis)
§
Herencia
Remondo - P900 (at Terry Selection)
From
Chef Gene Gonzalez, current Vice-Echanson of l’Ordre
Mondiale:
§
Marques
de Riscal - P450 (imported by Premier Wines)
§
Viña
Pomal - about P550 (at Terry Selection)
§
Ramon
Bilbao (imported by Best World)
§
Castillo
Irache 2006 - P475 (at Barcino)
§
Arviza
Crianza (imported by Bodegas Hidalgo de Filipinas)
It used
to be that tempranillo was hardly grown out of Spain,
except in Portugal, where it is known as Tinta Cao, and
in Argentina, where it is called Tinta Roriz. But as
more wine drinkers and winegrowers are discovering the
glories of tempranillo, the demand for it is on the
rise.
Already,
there are plantings in Australia (and perhaps soon,
there will be tempranillo from Down Under?). Like a
performer long waiting in the wings for its time in the
spotlight, tempranillo’s time has come. |
