Tempranillo

The red grape of Spain is Tempranillo. It may be the most versatile red grape in the world. I have tried some that taste like Pinot Noir,or Cabernet Sauvignon and even one wine tasted like, gulp, Coca Cola.

Tempranillo is magical with grilled, wood or gas, foods. The old 1+1=3. Food makes the wine taste better and wine makes the food taste better. The chicken and the egg come at the same time.

Two reasonably priced and good quality Tempranillos are the Ramon Bilbao from the Rioja region, and the Raimat from the Costieres del Segre region of Spain. Rioja is the most famous region of Spain and Tempranillo is king there. Bilbao produces textbook Tempranillo, fruity, dry, smokey, earthy and a middleweight, perfect for outdoor dining. Costieres del Segre is east of Rioja, equally mountainous, dry and hot. The wine has a tiny bit more fruitiness than the Rioja, but it is not a guarantee that all from Segre are fruitier than Rioja.

A side story from Segre. I visited there in 2002. The estate we visited was established by railroad barons of the late 1800's. But the history of the estate goes way way back. It was blazing hot and windy on the day we visited. Everything was dry and dusty. Except these straight as an arrow lines of trees that crisscrossed the propery as far as I could see. Giant fields of grapes and vegetables were enclosed by these trees. Upon commenting on the greeness of the trees in such an arid area, I was encouraged to walk over to the trees. Humongous roots were coming out of the trees and snaking into, ice-cold water from melting snows of the Pyranees brought to the property by Roman aquaducts 2000 years old. And still working. That night we had spring lamb cooked over wood fires for a spectacular way to enjoy Tempranillo and grilled meat.