DO - Denominación de Origen

DOCa	Denominación de Origen Calificada
Rioja	Less than one year in Oak Barrel.
Crianza	Minimum 24 months aging. One year in Barrel.
Reserva	Minimum 36 months aging. One year in Barrel.
Gran Reserva	Minimum 60 months aging. Two years in Oak Barrel.

About Tempranillo

Tempranillo is the noble grape variety of Spain, just like Cabernet Sauvignon is to France.

Tempranillo is the most planted red wine grape in Spain.

Tempranillo is the third most planted grape in the world.

In Spain, Tempranillo thrives best in the cooler wine regions of Rioja and Ribera del Duero.

The name comes from Spanish temprano which means early" and refers to early ripening.

Young Tempranillo wine has medium color, moderate acidity, and a fine berry-like character, while aged Tempranillo often develops a sweet spicy, leather and tobacco-like flavor.

Tempranillo wines are generally softer and rounder than Bordeaux wines, but drier than Burgundy wines.

Medium acidity and moderate tannins make Tempranillo wines round and soft, with a spicy aftertaste.

The wines are easy to like, and easy to pair with many types of food.

Cherries and Red and Black Berries are typical Tempranillo flavors, with hints of Herbs, Licorice, Spices, and Minerals.

Synonyms

Tempranillo is also called "Ull de Llebre" (means Eye of the Hare), "Cencibel", "Tinta del Pais", "Tinta de Toro", Tinta Fina" in Spain, and "Aragonez" or "Tinta Roriz" in Portugal (used in Port wine).

Terroir

Tempranillo loves calcareous clay soils but performs well also in limestone, chalck and iron rich ones.

The better performance in the world is in "La Rioja" and "Ribeira del Duero", Spain.

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Spanish Tempranillo DO Regions

Rioja was the first Spanish region to be awarded DOCa status (1991).

Rioja wines are normally a blend of various grapes. A typical blend consists of 65% to 85% Tempranillo and up to 20% Garnacha.

Rioja Joven Less than one year in Oak.	60-80% Tempranillo 20% Garnacha
Rioja Crianza DOCa Min 24 months aging. One year in Oak.	60-80% Tempranillo 20% Garnacha
Rioja Reserva DOCa Min 36 months aging. One year in Oak.	60-80% Tempranillo 20% Garnacha
Rioja Grand Reserva DOCa Min 60 months aging. Two years in Oak.	60-80% Tempranillo 20% Garnacha
Ribera del Duero DO	90-100% Tempranillo
Toro DO	90-100% Tempranillo

Ribera del Duero

Ribera del Duero (Banks of Duero) is one of Spain's top red wine regions.

The region attracts wine-lovers from around the globe with red Ribera del Duero wines made from the Tinto Fino (Tempranillo) grape. A small amount of rosado wine is also made in the region.

The vineyards flank the Duero River and stretch up to limestone cliffs that rise between 700 and 1,000 meters above sea level.

Some producers successfully blend in Bordeaux varieties.

In 1864, Eloy Lecanda y Chaves, a Bordeaux-trained Spanish winemaker, established Vega Sicilia east of Valladolid. He planted his vineyards with Tinto Fino (Temranillo), Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Malbec, and started to create wine blends with significant commercial success.

Vega Sicilia is one of Spain's most notable producers.

Appellation Rules

DO wines must contain minimum 75% Tempranillo (most are made with 100 percent).

Blends may contain maximun 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, or Malbec.

Name	Aging
Cosecha	No aging spesification
Crianza	Min 24 months. Min 12 months in Barrel
Reserva	Min 36 months. Min 12 months in Barrel
Grand ReservaCrianza	Min 48 months. Min 24 months in Barrel

Rosé wines can undergo traditional aging similar to red wines, and can be aged to crianza, reserva, and gran reserva, as well as the non-aging cosecha classification.