Tempranillo
Tempranillo is grown all over Spain, most notably in the Rioja, Priorat, and Ribera del Duero regions. It usually has flavors of vanilla, strawberry, and tobacco. It is often blended with garnacha, has moderate acidity and tannins. In oak, it is a mellow with vanilla tones. Prominent flavors are strawberries, spices, and toffee or chocolate.
For cheese pairings, look for Iberian or even Basque/Pyrénées styles such as Manchego, Campo de Montalban, Campobello, Ibores, Mahòn, Torta del Casar, Monte Enebro, Azeitão, Garrotxa, Roncal, or Serra. Often these cheeses will be sheep, goat, or blends of cow, sheep, and goat.
Azabache Rioja Reserva 1995 (Tasted in 2004) Kevin at Central Market recommended this to me. $17.99 at Central Market. 13% alcohol. Direct Wine Imports. 70% Tempranillo, 20% Garnacha, and 10% Graciano. On the bottle, it says: "Deep ruby red colour with terracotta reflections which show its ageing in the bottle. Aromas of raisins, vanilla, leather and chocolate. A vigorous start, lengthy in the mouth, smooth rounded, warm. Lasting, substantial wine final tastes." Aged for 12 months in the bottle and 24 months in the barrel. I yanked this out of the wine fridge one night by myself when I just wanted to sip on a little something red. I thought I was choosing a low end wine, but then I tasted this and ooops, I had something fancier. It is yummy. I believe this was recommended to me in place of the Torre Oria that I liked with Manchego. It is a dark amber color and very dense, orange rim. Rich, smoky, rustic, raisin smell. It starts off plain and dry (doesn't slap you with a lot of fruit), and then I taste something like burnt pumpkin pie spice. The finish is hot, but overall, it is very smooth and nice.
Azabache with Idiazabal. I thought this would be good since it is a sheep's milk cheese from Spain that is lightly smoked, but it's not passing. Even with this full, interesting wine, the cheese is too strong.
Azabache with Pecorino Toscano. I have never done an Italian sheep's milk cheese with Rioja, but why not? I love this. The wine is quite elegant with this so very Italian cheese. More fruit comes out in the wine. The cheese is still stronger than the wine, but they blend well and bounce back and forth off each other. This wine would be best with a Manchego or Mahon, or something from another country, but milder.
La Vendimia Rioja 2002 (Tasted in 2005) 13% alcohol. $12.50 at Austin Wine Merchant. It is matured for four months in new oak. Garnacha and Tempranillo blend. The Tempranillo acts as a perfect foil to provide strength and flavor. Dark purple color. It smells ripe and woody. It almost stinks. Medium-bodied, but nevertheless very light on the tongue. It is almost tingly. This is way too easy to drink. It has a very rustic, woody taste plus something in the aftertaste that I am not wild about -- something metallic. Dry finish.
La Vendimia Rioja with Manchego. Very good together. They blend well and both have an outdoorsy flavor about them. The salt and tang in the cheese shines through, and the berries and crazy flavors in the wine are toned down a little. It is a nice variation on the Pecorino Toscano with Sangiovese pairing. I tried this with blackberries. It was good, but the juicy fruit washed out the flavors of the wine and cheese.
Osborne Solaz 2003 (Tasted in 2006) $6.99 at World Market. 80% Tempranillo, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon. 13.5% alcohol. The logo is a shadow figure of a bull, complete with big cajones. This comes from Castilla in the center of Spain. Tempranillo is an grape indigenous to Spain, but blended with Cab. It describes itself as rich, dry, and fruity with elegant aromas and roundness developed through four months of aging in new American oak barrels. It is supposed to be good with meats and someone also said Manchego. It is a light ruby color and tastes very bright and cherry-like with nice tannins and a very fresh, dry taste. Lots of fruit, but dryness. It tastes low tannin, but then it leaves my mouth feeling like it was high tannin. Rose petals.
Osborne Solaz with Manchego. One of my friends suggested this to me. It should be a nobrainer, and it is! The wine is so tart and it works well with the tangy, yet milky tasting, cheese. Both are light in some ways, but flavorful. The tannins work well with the nutty flavors in the cheese. It's good, but then lighter Tempranillo style wines always work well with this.
Pata Negra Tempranillo and Manchego 1
yr. This was very good and
definitely a good match. These two
come from the same region in Spain. The
wine is tart and light, and the cheese is sweet.
The wine brings out the sweet sheep’s milk flavor of the cheese.
The cheese tastes a little too delicate for the wine, though.
It is not as good with Manchego and quince paste.
The wine is too tart for the quince paste.
Maybe a white wine would be better.
Pata Negra Tempranillo with Ibores raw
goat’s milk cheese from Spain. It’s
ok, but not as good as this wine with the Manchego-types. The cheese is a little musky.
The blend burns the back of my throat.
I wouldn’t put them together on purpose, but they are not the worst
ever.
Pata Negra Tempranillo and
Campo de Montalban Manchego-style cheese. The
wine is earthy, woody-flavored, and the cheese tastes like animals.
It is a great match. They
stand up well to each other. The
wine and the cheese come from the same area in Spain.
Pata Negra Tempranillo and St. Andre
triple crème brie. Passable, but
wouldn’t do it at a party. It is
too bitter and weird. I read about
the cheese and found out that it is best paired with a light, fruity rosé.
Protocolo Tinto 2002 (Tasted in 2004) $6.99 at Grapevine Market. 12.5% alcohol. This is from Castilla in the center of Spain. Brad at Grapevine said this was good, especially for the price. It has been flying off the shelf. Imported by Halby Marqueting in Sonoma, CA. I think this is 100% Tempranillo. Color: Ruby red with violet hues, clean and very brilliant. Aroma: Fruity, raspberry, red fruits, very characteristic of variety. Light notes of vanilla and spice. In mouth: medium-bodied, good equilibrium of tannins and acidity. Finishing with notes of raspberry, vanilla, and light notes of wood. This is another one of those dense, teeth-staining wines. It smells sweet and fruity, like sweet cherries and raspberries. It smells like what you would taste in a gelato. Very good, lightly woody, smooth, vanilla...lots of vanilla at the end. It is well-balanced with nice fruit and acidity. I also like the rustic wood taste.
Protocolo Tinto with Manchego El Trigal, 6 month. How boring to do yet another Tempranillo/Manchego pairing, but it always works and this is what I happen to have in the fridge. Nice, olive-y, woody sheep cheese. Oh my god, this is great together. I love the way, once I took a sip of wine, all the sudden I got such a perfect roasted chocolate and fruit flavor. The cheese makes the wine taste super lush. They are great together. After all the fat flavors are done in the middle, I get nice little tannins and then woody, nutty sharpness in the cheese, but very light. This wine makes the cheese taste sharper than it normally does.
Rotllan Torra Reserva 1998 (Tasted in 2004) From the Priorat. 13.5% alcohol. The label says: "This small domaine, located in the heart of one of Spain's great wine regions, produces outstanding wines from ancient mountain wineyards. (sic) The wines, composed of Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache and Carignan are full bodied with great richness and intensity typical of El Priorat."
Rioja, Azabache 1995 (Tasted in 2004) $17.99 lb. at Central Market. 70% Tempranillo, 20% Garnacha, and 10% Graciano. 13% alcohol. On the bottle, it says: "Deep ruby red colour with terracotta reflections which show its ageing in the bottle. Aromas of raisins, vanilla, leather and chocolate. A vigorous start, lengthy in the mouth, smooth, rounded, warm. Lasting, substantial wine final tastes." Kevin at CM recommended this.
Rioja, Marqués de Càceres 2000 Rioja Crianza (Tasted in 2003) 12.5% alcohol. About $12. Jenn and Christine gave me this for my birthday. Brief, clean finish. Disappears quickly. Tannins, earthy, dark cherry, spicy. Very drinkable and smooth. It has a tingle that lingers all the way down the throat. Not a lot of aroma.
Rioja, Marqués de Càceres with Majorero goat. Good match. Tangy, floral cheese, brings out the fruit in the wine. Smooth. A little bitter in the finish.
Rioja, Marqués de Càceres and Roncal sheep. Not so good. I was surprised. Good at first, but then it turns bitter. I wouldn't put these two together, though they were supposed to go well.
Rioja, Marqués de Càceres and Serra, a salty, fruity, spicy sheep cheese. It is a little bitter, but makes the wine taste spicy. The spice in the wine matches up with the spice in the cheese. It is not so great, though. I am not liking this wine with sheep so much, but it seems good with goat.
Rioja, Marqués de Càceres and Pecorino Marzolino. It tastes like rubber and fish. This pecorino was kind of weird anyway.
Rioja, Tresantos Roble 2002 (Tasted in 2003) $9.99 at Grapevine. 14% alcohol. It is from Zamora. It is aged for 4 months in French and American oak. It is a dark ruby red color. Low tannins. I can smell some strawberry maybe, plums, blackberries, a little bit of chocolate. It smells very fruity and it burns because of the alcohol. Not very longlasting, light, dry, silky tannins, and well-integrated wood. It's rustic, but light. It's really good, but kind of a quiet wine and nondescript at times. I taste some vanilla. I like it, but don't quite know what to say about it. It is a really great price for such a good wine. This is a wine I'd just sit and drink.
Rioja, Tresantos with Campobello (cow, sheep, goat Manchego-style blend soaked in oil). This cheese is so intense and creamy, a little vomity. It is a greasy cheese. It is pretty good with the wine. It is acceptable. I get some bitterness in the finish, but they blend fairly well. The cheese overpowers the wine a little bit. The vomit taste comes out in the cheese with this wine, but it's not so bad. Sometimes it seems like the wine overpowers the cheese. I like this wine better with Campo de Montalban.
Rioja, Tresantos with Campo de Montalban (cow, sheep, goat Manchego style). Excellent with this cheese. The cheese blended well with the wine and brought out some good fruit tones. It almost tasted spicy. The wine definitely tastes young with this cheese.
Rioja, Tresantos, with Barrotxa. Crumbly, herby, and a little pasty. The cheese really brings out the spices in the wine. They blend well together. No bitterness.
Rioja, Tresantos and
Old Kentucky Tomme Goat Cheese. The
cheese makes the wine taste very bitter. I
thought this one had a chance to pair with a red wine since it was aged a little
more, but no, it still isn’t quite right.
Rioja, Tresantos with
3 month Manchego. OK.
I think the 12 month Manchego might be better, though.
I didn’t really like the cheese, quince paste, and wine, though.
It made the wine taste too tart.
Rioja, Tresantos with
Neal’s Yard Double Gloucester. It
is ok, but makes the wine taste less fruity, maybe because the cheese is so
fruity. It is definitely a decent
match, though.
Rioja, Viña Azabache 2000 (Tasted in 2004) $5.99 at Central Market. 13% alcohol. From Spain. This was good, especially for the price. I didn't really taste with cheeses, though. I bought it as the cheap wine for after the good stuff.
Solaz, Osborne 2000 (Tasted in 2003) $8 at Grapevine and Central Market. 80% Tempranillo and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon. It is from Spain. 13% alcohol. The estate of Osborne was founded in 1772. They make Rioja, Port, and Sherry. I guess this is considered a Rioja. This wine was made near Toledo in the Tierra de Castilla region in the heart of Spain. It is aged in oak and then in the bottle. It is supposed to have ripe fruit flavors and spicy nuances, and is also suppsoed to be good with grilled red meats, sautéed chicken, or pasta. It was really good, especially for the price. I drank this with Christine and Shanti one night. We had it as the second wine with some cheese, but by the time we got to it, we were acting crazy and dancing, so we didn't write much down. I think it went ok with all the cheeses except for the Montenebro. We tasted it after the Vega Sindoas. I think we liked it with the Campo de Montalban.
Torre Oria Grand Reserve, Utiel Requena 1991 (Tasted in 2002) $20. Sien Brown of Prestige brought this to a tasting. It was delicious, but I didn't take very good notes.
Torre Oria 1991 with 12 month Manchego. Excellent!
Torre Oria Grand Reserve 1993 (Tasted in 2003) $18 at Grapevine. This is from the El Derramador Valley in Requena, Spain. It is dark, almost tawny red. It tastes of spices, plums and black berries. Very mellow wine with a touch of acidity. Slightly smoky with polished tannins. Torre Oria Vineyards are located in Valencia. Torre Oria was founded in 1987 by the Oria de Rueda family. The wine s macerated for 10 days so that it extracts a large concentration of color and tannins from the grapes. It is aged in American oak casks for 2 years, and then in the bottle.
Torre Oria with Campo de Montalban Delicious! I like the gamy flavors in the cow/sheep/goat blend. They are not too wild for the smooth tempranillo, though.
Torre Oria with Garrotxa Also very good. The goat is rustic enough to work with this wine. The wine is smooth enough to deal with the goat. The cheese brings out the spices in the wine. Not bitter. This cheese is crumbly, herby, and a little pasty. The texture is not always so great when aged.
Torre Oria Reserve 1996 (Tasted in 2003) $15.99 at Grapevine. 12% alcohol. The guy at Grapevine said that it was nice and smooth since it was a 7 year wine, but it still had a nice burst of fruit at the beginning. It is dark tawny red and dense. It smells a little like pine. It is very very smooth, not too heavy on the palate. It tastes fruity and grassy. I can't tell what fruit, but I am supposing some sort of red fruit. I think I do smell tobacco, like fresh tobacco. I smell leaves. I taste tobacco, oak, and tingly spices. I've had the Grand Reserves of Torre Oria. The only difference I notice is that this one has livelier fruit and spices. The others seemed very very mellow. This wine is very good with cheeses so far. It seems to have enough flavors like wood, spice, and wild fruit, to make it interesting, but isn't too crazy for the cheeses, even cheeses that tend to be hard to match with a red wine. It looks like a lot of the Torre Oria Tempranillos have been good with cheese. Maybe it is because they are older. This is a more modern style of Spanish wine with shimmery fruit and minimal wood. This is my favorite.
Torre Oria Reserve with Blue Basque sheep. This cheese is creamy, rich, nutty, sweet, and slightly spicy. It really coats the palate. Almonds. It's ok with the wine. It doesn't make a bitter aftertaste, but the wine is a little tart for it. The cheese overpowers a tiny bit, but what I like is the nice woody flavor that comes out in both the cheese and the wine when they are together. I get a nuts and fruit flavor. This is great.
Torre Oria Reserve with Brillat-Savarin. What a surprise! This is really good together. The cheese is salty and smooth, and the wine is tart and fresh. The cheese brings out almost strawberry flavors in the wine. There is some bitterness, but it doesn't seem out of place. I can't believe this worked together.
Torre Oria Reserve with Garrotxa. This is really good together. Oooh, no, I take that back. It's a little bitter, but still interesting. The salty cheese brings out the fruit in the wine. It's alright. This wine needs a younger Garrotxa or maybe an older wine. This worked before with the Grand Reserve.
*Torre Oria Reserve with Hickory Smoked Capri goat cheese. I was hoping this would go together. I got confused and thought that maybe Tempranillo would have a smoky flavor, but no, it's tobacco and wood. Wow. This is actually not so bad together. In fact, it's great! I would never have put a fresh goat cheese with a red wine, but this works because of the strong wood in the cheese. Yum! I get a lot of fruit in the wine when it goes up against the smoky, salty cheese. The cheese cuts down on some of the pine flavor in the wine. I can't believe these two really went together.
Torre Oria Reserve with Ibores goat cheese. This cheese tastes of olives. It is hard and oily with a pickled flavor. It is ok with the wine at first, and then bitter. It makes the wine feel harsh. The wine tastes too woody and smoky for this cheese.
Torre Oria with Majorero. This isn't so bad. The cheese is very light and it works well with this wine. For some reason, this wine also seems very light. The wine and the cheese both have grassy components. The pasture-tasting goat cheese works well with that pine aroma in the wine.
Torre Oria Reserve with Monte Enebro. Yuck. This tastes like dirt. I don't know what is wrong with this. I taste a lot of goat and dirt. Then I taste plastic. It is a horrible match. Again, for this tangy goat, I think the wine is too tart.
Torre Oria Reserve with Smoked Mozzarella. Since this was so good with the smoked goat, I thought I'd try it with smoked Mozzarella. These are ok together, but the cheese is very mild. The wine overpowers it. They don't fight at all. I thought maybe the smoked pecan taste would be good with the wine, but the fruit is dominant with this cheese.
Torrederos (Tinto Torrederos) Ribera del Duero Crianza 2000 (Tasted in 2004) $13.99 at Central Market. 13% alcohol. This wine is from Burgos, Spain. It is 100% Tempranillo instead of a blend. The grapes are harvested in October. It is macerated for 25 days in stainless steel and then aged for 12 months in barrels, 60% American oak and 40% French oak. I was looking for the Torre Oria wine and the guy said this would be comparable since it did not have too much of a woody flavor and also tasted more modern and shimmery. This wine was thick and rich. I thought it tasted rustic, but according to the guy at the store, it is supposed to taste modern. In a book, it says that this wine is fleshy, ripe, and structured compared to other Tempranillos. The summers in the Ribera del Duero reach 100 degrees and the winters are cold. This countryside is known for its castles scattered throughout. The wine smells tangy, sweet, and musty, like a steak. It really does smell like beef. It smells like it has gone bad, but it hasn't. Full-bodied, dense, fruity, spicy, alcoholic. It makes my teeth squeak. Plum, leather, cherries, licorice, strong tannins, chocolate, vanilla, and wood. It is definitely a "tinto" wine -- it turned my lips and teeth purple after one sip.
Torrederos with Campo de Montalban. Tangy, grassy cheese. It is smooth, but exciting. The cheese brings out chocolate in the wine.
Torrederos with Idiazàbal. Smoked sheep's milk cheese from Spain. Where the smoke is barely perceptible at first, the wine bring out smoke in the cheese. Rustic, sheepy, salty, sweet cheese. It makes the wine taste super fruity. The fruit in the wine is great with the salt in the cheese. It sweetens the cheese. Great pairing. Very pleasant.
Vega Sindoa 2000 (Tasted in 2003) From Navarra, near France in the Basque area. $10 a bottle at Grapevine. 60% Cab and 40% Tempranillo. 13.5% alcohol. Super fruity. Smells like pomegranate, red fruit. Not too much tannins like most cabs. I was surprised since there was a good bit of cab in it. It is pretty light, not too earthy. It is a great cheese wine. It is really mellow and fruity. My friends loved it.
Vega Sindoa with Campo de Montalban. Great fruit with tangy, creamy cheese. It is a good salty and sweet mixture. Since the tannins are low, they don't interfere with the smooth, yet lively three-milk cheese.
Vega Sindoa with Montenebro The cheese is super salty and goat, pasty. It is older since it is getting dark and runny towards the edges. It really coats the mouth. It is not so great with the wine. There is some bitterness. Dense cheese, like dried up peanutbutter. It is a little goaty, but not too strong. When I breathe out, I have a putrid taste in my mouth with this wine. My breath stinks!
Vega Sindoa with Roncal. Roncal is a dry aged sheep cheese with olive tones and a little bit of herbs and floral qualities. When I breath out, I taste grass and baking flour. It is milky, grainy, nutty. OK with the wine, but a little bit vomit-tasting. It works well, though. They are both pretty mild, but a little bitter.
Vega Sindoa with Murcia al Vino. Tangy, lightly goaty, light olives, great mouthfeel. This wine is great with the cheese. Ike had suggested these two together. The Navarra wine is light enough that it doesn't interfere or fight with the grape rubbings on the outside of the cheese. I liked these two together.
Other Iberian wines
Priorat Onix 2001 Vintage (Tasted in 2003) 14% alcohol. About $11 at Grapevine. This is made from Grenache and Cariñena. The alcohol overpowers the taste of the wine. This wine is extremely fruity and smells tart. I taste berries, burning alcohol, some spice (which may be the burning alcohol), though it's not extremely spicy. It is dry. It is ok, but I really like the Tresantos better. This wine is very thick and fruity. It is kind of like a red zin, but without all the spice. Clean finish. Wood.
Priorat Onix, Grenache and Cariñena with Campobello. This is awful together! It tastes like dry vomit and dirt. Hmm. Strange, because I have other notes saying that I liked these two together. Maybe the wine had turned upon the second tasting. Before, I had written that it was very good and that the cheese (vomit and dirt?) really shines through. I wrote that it was like strawberries and cream, but a little vomity. The wine is smoky and dark, which is interesting with the creamy, oily cheese. The oil really comes through with this wine, and then the tart wine cuts the oil. It's nice. Maybe I liked it because it was interesting, and then didn't like it because it was too interesting.
Priorat Onix with Garrotxa. It goes well with Garrotxa. It overpowers the cheese, but it is ok.
Priorat Onix, Grenache and Cariñena with Pecorino Re Nero. I like these two together. It is kind of like having a Manchego with the wine. The cheese brings out the fruit in the wine and they blend well. The olivey cheese cuts back on the thick sweetness of the wine.
Periquita, light red wine from Portugal (Periquita grape blended with tinta negra mole) with Ribatria Portuguese goat pepper cheese. These were a good pairing. There was a little bit of bitter finish, but it was ok. The red wine was good with the pepper, and there was a lot of pepper on this cheese.