By rights, for the third day of Christmas, we should be choosing French wine to match the hens but Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without a Spanish Rioja and French hens really can be so terribly expensive, so it’s good to know there are other alternatives. Made with 100% Tempranillo, this is a rich wine, hand harvested from vineyards around the town of Haro and produced by the Real de Asua family, the driving force behind the legendary CVNE wines. In the glass, a delicious nose of blackberries and blackcurrant, with hints of liquorice and cherry. On the palate these fruits continue with gentle tannins and good acidity. Enjoy with charcuterie, olives, pasta dishes and paellas or risotto.
Delivery Charges
*Local Free Delivery: SL3 and SL4 postcode (Windsor/Datchet)
*Local Free Delivery: All SL (Except SL7), HP9, GU25, TW18, TW19 & TW20 postcodes. (Min. 6 bottles or 1 Hamper or 1 of our selected Wine cases purchased)
- England and Wales £12.00
- England and Wales Free Delivery (Over £200 purchased)
- Northern Ireland £30 (All BT postcodes)
- Scotland £15.00 (EH, FK, G, KA, KY, ML, DG and TD postcodes)
- Scottish Highlands and Islands £ 30.00 (All AB; DD; HS; IV; KW; KA27-28; PA; PH; TR21-25; ZE postcodes)
More Information
Tempranillo
At first glance, the many appellations of Spain‘s and Portugal‘s top red wines are based on an equal number of obscure local grapes. What do the Tinta Roriz of the Douro, Aragónez of the Alentejo, Ull de Llebre of Penedès, Tinta del Toro of Toro, Cencibel of Valdepeñas and Tinto Fino in Ribera del Duero have in common? They‘re all genetically the same grape. Thought to have existed in Northern Spain since antiquity, it is there making up the blends in almost all of the Iberian Peninsular‘s great red wines, even to some extent, Port. As Rioja is Spain‘s most successful liquid export, it is understandable that their name for this ubiquitous variety is the one the world has become familiar with. The name comes from its ripening habits; Temprano means ‘early‘, as Tempranillo tends to beat the other Rioja black grapes to the winery by around two weeks. Its thick skins give wines deep colour and longevity, but it doesn‘t race to high levels of potential alcohol like many of its Spanish peers. With an appealing range of uncomplicated flavours and an affinity with oak, it is rapidly being eyed by winemakers in other warm parts of the world, particularly Australia.
