Home   >   Featured wines   >   Tempranillo adds zest to Northwest wine scene

Tempranillo adds zest to Northwest wine scene

By on July 27, 2014
Joe Hattrup grows Tempranillo in Washington's Rattlesnake Hills.

Joe Hattrup grows some of the best Tempranillo in Washington at his Elephant Mountain and Sugarloaf vineyards in the Rattlesnake Hills. (Photo by Andy Perdue/Great Northwest Wine)

Tempranillo, the primary red grape of Spain’s Rioja region, has been planted in the Pacific Northwest since at least 1995, when Earl Jones at Abacela put his first vines in the ground in the Umpqua Valley near Roseburg, Ore.

From there, the rustic and robust red variety has spread throughout the Pacific Northwest into Washington, Idaho and British Columbia – albeit in small amounts. In Oregon, fewer than 400 acres are planted. In Washington, the tonnage is not yet large enough to be measured separately.

However, winemakers and wine lovers alike are beginning to appreciate Tempranillo, and we are seeing more and more bottlings of the wine. And it is a versatile food wine. A few favorite pairings include:

  • Paella
  • Enchiladas
  • Grilled portobello mushrooms
  • Moussaka
  • Lamb chops
  • Prime rib
  • Meat lovers pizza
  • Bacon cheeseburger
  • Lasagna

Following are a few Northwest Tempranillos we’ve tasted recently.

Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

About Great Northwest Wine

Articles authored by Great Northwest Wine are co-authored by Eric Degerman and Andy Perdue. In most cases, these are wine reviews that are judged blind by the Great Northwest Wine tasting panel.

5 Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *