TempraNeo 2013
TempraNeo is a collective of six Australian Tempranillo producers from Victoria, South Australia and the ACT. They have been running a series of trade workshops and consumer events around Australia to promote their Tempranillo wines.
Tempranillo is Spain's leading red grape variety but is relatively new to Australia. However plantings are increasing and in some states have increased by 50% in the last couple of years. There are over 700 hectares of Tempranillo vines spread across all states and the ACT and there are over 300 producers.
The TempraNeo event in Brisbane featured the wine makers from 5 of the 6 wines who all showcased some barrel samples of their 2013 wines and their 2012 releases. The event was held at Era Bistro which provided its usual high standard of service. In total 24 wines were tasted which showed the range of Tempranillo styles resulting from the different terroirs and different winemaking philosophies.
The Tempranillo wines all had medium to high tannins, moderate acid and flavours ranging through red fruits, black fruits, savoury and some sweeter confectionery characters.
The wines were all very good and would be even better with food over dinner. They are a welcome change from the standard Australian varieties. Like most wines they are often drunk too young as some bottle aging would help soften the tannins and lead to even better wines.
The members of TempraNeo are:
