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Tempranillo

The red grape variety originates from Spain. More than 80 synonyms attest to the vine's great age and worldwide distribution. The most important ones, grouped alphabetically by country, are Malvasia Nera, Malvasia Nera di Lecce, Negretto, Santo Stefano (Italy); Valdepeñas (California); Aragón, Aragones, Aragonez, Aragonez da Ferra, Aragonez de Elvas, Arinto Tinto, Olho de Lebre, Roriz, Tinta Aragonez, Tinta Roriz, Tinta Santiago (Portugal); Albillo Negro, Aldepenas, Arauxa, Arganda, Botón de Gallo, Castellana, Cencibal, Cencibel, Cencibera, Chinchillana, Chinchillano, Chinchilyano, Cupani, De Por Aca, Escobera, Grenache de Logrono, Jacibera, Jacibiera, Jacivera, Negra, Negra de Madrid, Negra de Mesa, Ojo de Liebre, Piñuela, Sensibel, Tempranilla, Tempranillo de la Rioja, Tempranillo de Perralta, Tempranillo de Rioja, Tempranillo de Rioza, Tempranillo Rioja, Tempranillo Tinta, Tempranillo Tinto, Tinta de Nava, Tinta del País, Tinta del Toro, Tinta do Inacio, Tinta do País, Tinta Fina, Tinta Madrid, Tinto Aragónez, Tinto Basto, Tinto de Madrid, Tinto del País, Tinto Fino, Tinto Madrid, Tinto País, Tinto Ribiera, Ull de Llebre, Verdiell, Vid de Aranda (Spain); Jacibiera, Jacivera, Garnacho Foño (South America, mainly Argentina and Chile).

Tempranillo - Traube, Blatt, Flasche La Rioja Alta

Ancestry

It must not be confused with the varieties Garnacha Tinta, Juan García (Malvasía Negra), Malvasia Nera di Basilicata, Malvasia Nera di Brindisi, Moristel (Tempranillo Temprano) or Negretto, despite seemingly suggestive synonyms or morphological similarities. In Italy, the synonyms for Tempranillo are misleadingly used. The earliest mention of the variety may have been under the plural "las tempraniellas" in the Ribera del Duero area in the 13th century, but other varieties were also so named. Under the old synonym Aragonés, it was possibly mentioned in 1513 in the variety catalogue of the agronomist Gabriel Alonso de Herrera (1470-1539). However, it was only in 1807 that the biologist and ampelographer Simon de Rojas Clemente y Rubio (1777-1827) mentioned it as reliable, giving Maiolus as a synonym (see next paragraph). The latter assumed an origin in the areas of Rioja or Navarra in northern Spain. This is also consistent with clones occurring there in large numbers.

The medieval author Petrus de Crescentiis (1230-1320) mentioned a variety called Maiolus. This later led to the assumption of a relationship or the same identity between the Lombardy variety Maiolina and Tempranillo. According to another hypothesis, there is supposed to be a connection between a Pinot vine taken by Burgundian Cistercian monks on their pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela (Galicia) and Tempranillo. Both hypotheses have turned out to be obsolete. According to DNA analyses carried out by Javier Ibáñez in 2012, it is a natural cross between the two Spanish varieties Albillo Mayor x Benedicto. The variety was a crossing partner in the new variety Temparia. From a presumably natural crossing with Marufo, the variety Coloraillo was developed. Two somatic mutations concerning berry colour are Tempranillo Blanco and Tempranillo Gris.

Characteristics

The name means "the early one" (Spanish temprano = early) and refers to the early ripeness. It is traditionally grown low to the ground in bush form on the Iberian Peninsula. The high-yielding vine has particularly thick-skinned berries, is sensitive to wind and drought, susceptible to powdery mildew and eutypiosis, but resistant to botrytis. It yields colourful, intensely fruity red wines with moderate acidity and alcohol content and soft tannins with aromas of spices, leather, tobacco and strawberries. With low yields and barrique ageing, these are characterised by great ageing potential. Tempranillo has a similar importance in Spain as Cabernet Sauvignon in France and brings structure to many red wines as a blend. It belongs to the extended circle of the Cépages nobles.

Areas under cultivation

In Spain, Tempranillo is the second most common grape variety after the white Airén and occupies a total of 193,597 hectares of vineyards. Among its numerous synonyms, it is strongly represented in almost all regions, with the exception of Asturias and Galicia in the northwest, and Andalusia in the far south. It is very often blended with Garnacha Tinta, as well as Mazuelo and Macabeo. In Rioja Alta and Rioja Alavesa, it occupies over 70% of the vineyard area and is the most important Rioja gra pe. It is the main component of the red wines "Pesquera" from the Alejandro Fernández winery, "Pingus" from the Dominio de Pingus winery and "Unico" from the Vega Sicilia winery, which are among the best and most expensive in Spain.

In Portugal, it has been cultivated for centuries under the names Aragonez and Tinta Roriz. It is mainly present there in the Alentejo, Dão, Douro (permitted in port wine ), Lisboa and Tejo areas. The area under cultivation of the most common Portuguese variety, which is also expanding here, totals 17,014 hectares with a strong upward trend. Other European cultivation areas are in Germany, France (658 ha), Greece (12 ha), Italy (9 ha), Austria, Romania (67 ha), Switzerland (0.3 ha) and Turkey (6 ha). The variety was already introduced in the 17th century during the conquistadores' campaigns in South America. There are stands in Argentina mainly in the Mendoza area (6,1400 ha), Brazil (23 ha), Chile (127 ha) and Mexico (229 ha). Other countries include Australia (681 ha), Israel (55 ha), Canada (6 ha), Myanmar (4 ha), New Zealand (18 ha), South Africa (92 ha), Thailand (4 ha) and USA (626 ha). In 2016, a total of 219,397 hectares of vineyards were designated. It is thus ranked 3rd in the world grape variety ranking (Kym Anderson).

Source: Wine Grapes / J. Robinson, J. Harding, J. Vouillamoz / Penguin Books Ltd. 2012.
Images: Ursula Brühl, Doris Schneider, Julius Kühn-Institut (JKI)

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