The grape that produces some of the best wines in Spain, from Gran Reserva Rioja to the fashionable and high-priced red wines of Ribero del Duero, goes by many different names.
In Rioja and Navarra, we know it as Tempranillo. Yet, down the road in La Mancha, it goes by the name Cencibel. (How sensible is that?) On the southeastern coast, Catalonians call it Ull de Llebre (eye of the rabbit). Arriving in Ribera del Duero, you might refer to it once as Tinta de Pais and then again as Tinto Fino. Which is fine, but in Toro, you’ll be asked to identify it as Tinta de Toro. Just don’t try that in Madrid, where it goes by Tinto de Madrid.
The grape is one of international mystery, as well. It steps across the border into Portugal and becomes Tinta Roriz.
It seems every region wants a piece of this native Spanish grape, to call it their own, to have some unique connection to it. Happily, the wines it makes taste just as good by any name you give it.
Read more about Spanish wine regions and get recipes for pairing with each glass:
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