Tempranillo is the premium red wine grape variety from the Rioja region in Spain. Tempranillo is also grown in many Australian wine regions including the King Valley, McLaren Vale, the Adelaide Hills, Wrattonbully and in Western Australia. There are now over 200 Australian wineries making wine from this variety. Tempranillo vines prefer a cooler climates, where it is easier to retain acidity and tannin.

In Spain it isn't often bottled as a stand-alone varietal, but usually blended with other varieties including Grenache, (Garnacha), Carignan (Mazuelo) and Cabernet Sauvignon. Its home is in Rioja and Navarra where it constitutes around 70% of most red blends. It is also grown in Ribera del Duero, Cencibel in La Mancha and Valdepenas and Ull de Llebre in Catalonia.

Tempranillo has aromas and flavours of berry fruit, with an earthy-leathery character and good minerality. Producers need to be careful not to overpower the variety by oak. Top Riojas, do this both French and American oak, making rich, powerful and concentrated wines which can be extraordinarily long-lived.