Is the tempranillo grape variety cultivated by any californian winery?
Yes, it is grown in California and other new world vineyards. Tempranillo is one of the world’s great classic wine grape varieties, but when the revival of California wine culture started in the 1970’s the Californians were concentrating on matching and beating French wines with an emphasis on French varieties such as Cabernet and Merlot (for Bordeaux style blends) and Pinot Noir. There were always minor grape varieties planted in California which presumably vanished in local generic “burgundies” and “chiantis” etc, but recently there has been greater interest in Italian and Spanish varieties — aided by a willingness of a more confident American public to drink new varieties. A quick check shows varietal Tempranillos from Castoro Cellars, Baywood Cellars, Murrieta’s Well, La Bodega and others. The variety has also been released in California under the synonym of Valdepeñas. It is grown also in Portugal (where it is known as Aragonez – I was in Portugal last month and tasted some excel
