TEMPRANILLO
Tempranillo is one of the grape varieties grown in various regions of the world for making wine. The grape species mature much earlier than the red grapes in Spain. Originally, Tempranillo was dry grown (Intrigliolo D. and Castel J, 2008). However, irrigation has increased drastically in Spain for the past few decades. Tempranillo was grown in Liberia in ancient times; when Phoenicians settled in Liberia.
There are several regions in the world that grow Tempranillo. The main ones include Spain and Portugal. However, it is also grown is some parts of USA and Australia. These regions have different terroir. Terroir refers to the characteristics of a place in terms of geology, climate, geography, and the other factors that affect agricultural products such as grapes, coffee, and tea. In Spain, the Rioja and Requena regions are the main Tempranillo growing regions. They have distinct terroir that makes the Tempranillo grapes do well. The French Monks introduced Tempranillo around13th Century in Rioja, and since then it has done well in the region.
First, Tempranillo has a higher affinity of higher altitudes (Stephen Menke, 2010). Such characteristics define the Rioja region of Spain that has higher altitudes making it do well. In addition, just as many other grapes, it does well in regions with a climate variation from cool to dry, sunny climates. In this case, the continental climate of Spain fits well such characteristic. The dry, sunny climate facilitates the optimal growth of the Tempranillo species of grapes. The dryness makes the Tempranillo grapes have a high level of sugar. The coolness of the climate makes the grapes have a unique acidity level. Such characteristics define the Ribera Del Duero region that also grows the Tempranillo grapes. Portugal, the other main producers of Tempranillo grapes, experiences the same climate conditions ranging from cool climate to a warm climate that produces the best matured Tempranillo grapes.
Sunny climates ensure that the region experiences large diurnal range of temperature. The wide temperature range facilitates quick growth and ripening during the hotter period. From this perspective, the Rioja region is defined in such terms as this making it ideal for the growth of the Tempranillo grapes (California University, n.d). It is important to note that the rate of growth and maturity affects the flavor the grapes develop. It is, therefore, critical for the growth of the Tempranillo grapes. The soils of the Rioja region are ferruginous and calcareous. These two soils vary from fine sandy, loamy soils to clay loam soils that facilities the development of roots. Portugal the other main growing region also has this type of soil.
How do the manufacturers make the Tempranillo wine? First, as it is the case on all grapes, the manufacturers choose the highest quality of fruits. Poor quality fruits cannot produce good quality wines. The manufacturers ensure that they buy grapes from well-established farmers who know how to balance the acidity and sugar levels in thee grapes. It is not granted that the high-quality grapes lead to high-quality wine. It is possible for a manufacturer to make poor quality wine from great raw materials. Therefore, the manufacturers handle the fruits within the necessary time lines such that the overall quality does not deteriorate.
Large grapes may have large quantities of water that dilute the sugar level in the juice leading to poor wine. At the same time, small grapes may have littler juice and have very high quantity of sugar. In this case, therefore, the manufacturers must determine the right grape at the initial stages. All these aspects affect not only the flavor, but also the aromas, color, acidity, and hence, the overall quality.
The manufacturers may use the fermentation with either a single strain or a multiple strain of yeast depending on the flavor the final product should have. The fermentation can either be hot or cold. Each one produces different flavors and aroma. In particular, the cold fermentation ensures the production of delicate aromas. In most cases, Tempranillo wine is produced from multiple strains of yeast. The fermentation time varies depending on the final flavor of the wine. Barrel fermentation with different yeast strain cannot produce a similar wine flavor.
Home wine makers using the Tempranillo grapes use nutrients and Enzymes. Although it is argued that using nutrients and enzymes might be harmful, it is not always the case since the nutrients and enzymes forms a critical role in wine making process. The enzymes increase stability during wine making and, therefore, contribute greatly to the overall quality of the wine. Running off some of the juice during wine making is also common to those who use Tempranillo. Running off some juice involves draining some of the juice from the crushed grapes. High concentrations of dissolved solid remains in the juice, usually, produce richer wines than those with less dissolved solid material. When one does not wish to run off some of the juice, one can let it macerate for about one day. However, this depends on the color one expects from the final products.
References
California university.Tempranillo. Retrieved on October 10th 2014. From http://iv.ucdavis.edu/files/24363.pdf
Stephen Menke (2010). The Terroir of Tempranillo. Retrieved on October 10, 2014 from http://thepigeonpost.org/2010/07/17/the-terroir-of-tempranillo-el-terruno-de-tempranillo/
Intrigliolo D. and Castel J. (2008). Effects of irrigation on the performance of grapevine cv. Tempranillo in Requena, Spain. Retrieved on October 10, 2014 from http://wineserver.ucdavis.edu/pdf/attachment/153%20irrigation%20of%20Tempranillo% 20in%20Spain.pdf
