Upper Ebro's Grapes: Garnacha, Graciano, Mazuelo, Tempranillo, Viura

Garnacha

Graciano

Mazuelo

Tempranillo

Tempranillo is Spain�s answer to Cabernet Sauvignon and one of the most important black grapes used for making Rioja. It takes its name from temprano, Spanish for �early�, because it usually ripens early � and certainly a good two weeks before Rioja�s other important grape Garnacha. This relatively short growing cycle makes Tempranillo able to thrive in the often harsh climate of Rioja�s higher, more Atlantic-influenced zones Rioja Alta and Rioja Altavesa. Although it produces deep-coloured wines, it doesn�t have a particularly strong flavour identity and is quite low in acidity so, alone, the wines lose their fruit and liveliness after a few years. This is the reason a high proportion is blended with juicier, more perfumed varieties (which in Rioja are Garnacha, Mazuelo, Graciano and Viura) to produce wonderful wines capable of ageing. It prefers deep calcareous or sandy clay soil and does best on slopes. In Spain, it�s known by many synonyms, including Tinto Fino, Tinto de Toro and Cencibel, although recent research by winemakers now suggests its namesakes are in fact different clones. Elsewhere, it�s grown in Portugal�s Alentejo as Aragonez and in the Douro as Tinta Roriz, as well as in Argentina and southern France.

Viura

Viura is the synonym in Rioja for Macabeo. It�s the dominant white grape in the region, accounting for more than 90 per cent of white varieties. In Rioja, Viura tends to make fairly light wine with relatively high acidity, which is almost florally perfumed when young but loses its freshness fairly quickly. The vine is not particularly disease-resistant but it does produce a good quantity of relatively fruity, aromatic must that doesn�t oxidise easily, unlike other more tradional Rioja varieties. As Macabeo, it�s northern Spain�s most common white grape variety and is one of the three grapes used for Cava. The grape variety is also found in France, particularly in Roussillon and the Languedoc, where it�s called Maccabeo or Maccabeu.