Varietal: Tempranillo (60%); Shiraz (40%)
Region: Spain
Cost: $11.99 (SRP)
Aromas of spice and cherry, with flavors of dark cherry, chocolate, blackberry, plum, and earthiness. Â Pairs well with hearty meals such as Texas pork ribs, lasagna Florentine, tapas, lamb, and Spanish chorizo.
Recommendations: My wife liked this bottle just because the label was orange, her favorite color. Â I was intrigued when I got this sample some weeks ago as I enjoy both Tempranillo and Shiraz, but hadn’t really experimented with them blended. Â Finally, this past weekend while having a friend over for dinner, I decided to give it a try.
The wine was nice and dark in the glass and featured aromas of cherry and a bit of spice and earth. Â On the palate I got black cherry and a nice smooth finish that was oh so welcome. Â While I didn’t pair the wine with a Spanish dish, I did have it with a nice nice hearty beef stew that my wife had been slowly making in the crock pot all day. Â
The flavors of the wine were a nice compliment to the stew, but I could definitely see enjoying this with a plate of Spanish themed tapas out on the deck. Â In fact, I would highly recommend trying it just like that. Â Overall it was a nice enjoyable wine that I could definitely see picking up a few bottles of to open during a party with light tapas style food out. Â If you can’t a bottle of the 2009 Tempra Tantrum Tempranillo/Shiraz at your store, you can find it (and other blends) at this site. Â Give it a try the next time you’re cooking Spanish and I think you’ll enjoy it.
