2013 Tempranillo Wine

Tempranillo is a Spanish grape grown around the world, and it known as the main grape in Spanish Roja wine.

When I got to the store,  the lady said the Tempranillo grapes had especially high sugar content.  I thought incorrectly that Tempranillo was a kind of Zinfandel. It is really a cross of two ancient Spanish vines -- a red and a white.

It is getting late in the wine season, and I wanted to make a smaller batch of red to complement the Cabernet Sauvignon that I made three weeks ago.  I decided to try something different, and I liked the idea of getting a grape where the fruit looked good, so I got that instead of Syrah.

Mine was sold by Colavita's as Northern Special. Colavita says their grapes are grown in Lodi, Woodbridge, and Linden Hills district # 11.

2013 Tempranillo Recipe

108 lb Tempranillo Grapes (Colavita)
12 g yeast energizer
7 packets of Lipton Tea
2 packets of Red Star Montrachet yeast


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I measured the sugar content, and it was pretty high at 25.8 Brix for 13.5% alcohol, which is not as high as they were claiming, but still pretty good. At least I did not need to add sugar. The measured sugar content rises as the must stands because the sugar from inside the dried fruit gradually leaches out. Originally, I measured the sugar content at 23 Brix, and it went up to 25.8 Brix in about a half hour -- after a night of fermentation it was over 26%.   What is the right wine word for this?  Robust?

I added tea since I like doing that more than oak chips. I used two packs of yeast when I could have gotten by with one because I had two on hand, and this is the last batch of the year. No point in letting the yeast go to waste.

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March 2014: I added vanilla and oak chips to help increase the flavor. I also added Acid-X to kill the tartness.

March 2015: I tasted it, and it was pretty good. I transferred 2 gallons to bottles. There is a little vanilla taste. This wine is lighter in flavor and more like a white wine than the Merlots and CabSavs I usually make. It has a little tartness that is not distracting. I hope it does not get more tart.