frugal wines: in praise of tempranillo

We had leftovers again. However, instead of posting about a particular wine, I'd like to share an ode to tempranillo.

There are several bottles of tempranillo between $8 and $15 (around $11-$13 seems to be the sweet spot). I don't think I've found one yet that wow'ed me in the same way the Calina Carmenere and Blackstone's Malvasia Bianca did, but this grape varietal definitely has the potential to do so.

Tempranillo makes a full-bodied red wine. It tends to have the smells of dark fruits and berries: blackberries, cherrries, plums, and prunes. It has a slight hint of chocolate in its taste, but predominantly a complex, fruity flavor. It tends to be less acidic than other red wines I've tried.

When I think of tempranillo, I think of a slab of manchego cheese, beef, and crusty artisan bread.

Random trivia: the word "tempranillo" is derived from the Spanish word "temprano", meaning early, since the grape ripens around two weeks before other common varietals in Spain.