Rioja Alavesa lies to the south of Basque country, not too far from the famous running of bulls at Pamplona and an easy drive from Bay of Biscay. Bodegas Solar Viejo are at the heart of Denominacio d'Origen Qualificada Rioja, very near the place where Celtic Iberians settled over three millenia ago. The area is full of history and folklore, gastronomy and good wine. The team at Bodegas Solar Viejo have maintained a strong relationship with local wine growers for generations, reserving the pick of crop for Crianza Temparanillo.

A mostly Old Vines Grenache, redolent with lifted aromatics and dulcet fruit flavours over a length of refined, sandy tannins. Shiraz contributes red berries, spices and palate weight, Touriga brings pungency, plum pudding, dried herb and floral notes. Mataro adds textural tannin structure and the perfumes of Provence. SC Pannell GSTM is so much more than the sum of parts, a complex and edifying old world recipe of grapes, fashioned to a style which will enthuse and delight all true red wine zealouts.

Yalumba and Hill Smith have found a natural home for the torrid Tempranillo grape amongst their splendid vineyards at Wrattonbully. Tempranillo is highly influenced by viticultural factors such as climate, soil and clone, as well as ripeness at time of harvest and characteristic style of the winemaker. The iron rich soils of Wrattonbully encourage development of the distinctive Tempranillo varietal characters, raspberry, pomegranate and red currant. An exciting wine, bright in colour, rich in fruit flavour and gently oaked, lined by a contour of pliant, juicy tannins.

It's 7.00am, singing erupts from the impassioned crowd, Viva San Fermin! A rocket focuses everyone's attention, the bulls are on their way. The congregation begin to stampede, slow at first, now faster as the sound of hooves descend. It's a blur until the third rocket. Relief and celebration, the Encierro is over! Fruit is sourced from good growers in the western ranges of Barossa, through to the valley floor and into Penrice. A great range of aroma and flavour profiles are assembled into a stylish and engaging expression of new world Tempranillo.

From a splendid, hand chosen site in McLaren Flat, its deep, fertile soils encouraging the large, pungent Tempranillo berries to ripen with an abundance of flavour. Samplings of fruit off the vines become ever more frequent as harvest approaches, such is the pleasure of tasting the grapes, a swarm of local bees are equally excited by the juicy sweetness. Winemaking inputs are kept to a minimum, purposefully matured in a selection of larger format, seasoned French oak, taming the tannins while allowing the quality of fruit to shine.

Ramos Pinto are part of the eminent Roederer group of internationally renowned wineries. Touriga Francesa, Tinta Roriz and Touriga Nacional are the uniquely Iberian grape varietals in Duas Quintas Classic. A highly decorated red wine that's claimed prestigious awards at the distinguished III Concurso International de Vinhos Cidade do Porto and USA World Wine Championships. Have it with your favourite faire, Duas Quintas is wonderfully suited to meat and game recipes, especially those with garlic.

A mostly Tempranillo wine from Castilla la Mancha, with a fifth of Shiraz, fashioned to an exuberant expression of the Spanish style. Spicy by name and nature, Picante is a rich, generously flavoured red wine with spirited varietal fruit and resonating tannins. Built around a core of intensely flavoured Tempranillo, which provides structure and fine tannin balance, a component of choice Shiraz contributes middle palate weight, spiced plum compexity and supple textures. A portion of declassified Rioja Tempranillo adds complexity and length.

Brangie Vineyard is a demure two acres of King Valley vine, established in the late 1990s along the banks of Hurdle Creek, on a site that's fortuitously positioned for red wine viticulture. A half acre each of Tempranillo and Touriga Nacional, planted to sandy clay loams which restrict the vigor of vines and concentrate characters in the fruit, yield a precious harvest of the most intensely flavoured grapes with each vintage. A cherry filled wine of lithe spice and winsome florals, Mario's Blend resolves on a length of sweet and savoury fruits, supported by the finest chalky tannins.

Layers is a melange of flavour drawn from five varietal grapes. A cepage of the three inveterate Barossa red varietals, Shiraz, Grenache and Mourvedre, with two traditional but exciting hispanic grapes, Tempranillo and Carignane, to construct a wine that is so much greater than the sum of parts. Don't be fooled by it's easy drinking and approachable nature, as each taste reveals another layer of subtle complexity. A great wine to complement the modern Australian lifestyle and diverse textures of contemporary east west fusion cuisines, so enjoy.

Partisan wines are created to be fundamentally endowed with maximum varietal character and discernible McLaren Vale charm. Partisan are people who care about the soil and environment, nurturing and caring for the land. Good wine is the objective but sustainable viticulture and respect for nature are the priority. Brimming with violets and morello, rich blood plum fruits jump out of the glass, the seductive appeal of Tempranillo from the Vale, juicy ripe fruits throughout, bubbling with succulent bright red berry characters, supported by the finest, pliant tannins.

An unconventional cepage of Cabernet Sauvignon and Tempranillo that works remarkably well as each grape contributes unique characteristics. The result is a fruit driven wine which is approachable and fragrant, yet is well structured with savoury complexity. In making the Tryst, Nepenthe are seeking to construct a wine that complements and enhances a wide range of foods, an easy going, completely versatile dinner companion.

Planted to Tempranillo in 2000, just outside Kuitpo on the southwest escarpment of Mount Lofty Ranges, Yacca Paddock’s vistas overlooking the Gulf of St Vincent enjoy rejuvenating maritime breezes which encourage vines to yield harvests of the ripest tannins and intensely complex varietal characters. Vinified in traditional open fermenters, Yacca Paddock makes a wonderfully textural, stylish wine of natural fruit sweetness, tart red cherry flavours and juicy, food friendly savouryness, prepare a grill of Mediterranean veggies or fry of fresh sardines and have a Yacca.

Tempranillo is an early ripener which tends to develop fuller flavours and aromatics when grown to the cooler climes of Victoria's Ovens Valley. Mayford Vineyard was established within a mildly temperate amphitheatre, with a view to crafting limited yields of hand made wine. Tempranillo was a natural fit with its late bud burst and early maturity, planted on a bony ridge which restricts berries to pea size, keeping the vines inherent vigor in check. A flagship boutique effort, treated to an old world vinification, achieving an evocatively new world styling.

An engaging Tempranillo wine in impressive new world styling, a fashionable fusion of savouryness, freshness and fruit. Gentle handling is the priority, there are no pumps, gravity is employed throughout the process to move grapes and musts. Florals and leather bouquet, violet, olives and bay. Opaque red berries and black cherry fruit, mulberry and five spice run through the long, soft palate, all framed by a veneer of vanillan cedar oak, supported by a flattering length of pliant tannins, exquisitely balanced by the judicious savouryness of a food friendly cherry tang.

Perrin et Fils are a big name in the winemaking industry, highly talented and driven by the pursuit of excellence, they host many of the most conspicuous marques in all France. Enter the classic Rhone Valley cepage of Grenache and Syrah with an ample component of the aboriginal Carignan and Cinsualt, fashioned to an engaging and evocative, drink now styling. Fruit is sourced from mature vineyards husbanded by local families which have been growing grapes and making wine for countless generations.

From a sensational block of Touriga in Willunga basin, the laboriously manicured vines are trained to yield fruit that's destined for a decidedly old world style of vinification. Fruit is sorted bunch by bunch for a course of natural open ferments, basket pressed into a selection of well seasoned French oak barriques for a tasteful and timely nine months. Its bullish tannins in support of lifted Earl Grey florals and cherry blossom perfumes, plush and perfect dark fruit flavours, tensioned by fine, etching acid line. A big Touriga style that unwinds and blooms within a big wine glass.

Mostly Shiraz with a cogent proportion of the torrid Tempranillo, bunches are de stemmed and separately vinified in open vessels, treated to extensive pumpovers and cap management for optimal extractions, pressed off skins and sent to a mix of seasoned and new French oak barriques for fifteen months before assembling into the finished wine. Violets and milled spice notes of Shiraz, deep plum flavours and a peppery edge to the fleshy fruit sweet palate, Tempranillo brings savouryness and an animate tannin structure.

From a parcel of old Touriga Nacional vines on Block 13 of Farm 130. Grapes are carefully de stemmed for three days of cold soak, vinified through the action of natural yeasts and hand plunged thrice daily over a week of ferments, pressed and settled into seasoned French oak for fifteen months maturation. A juicy style characterised by red cherry and violet perfumes, juicy red berry characters within a light, fragrant structure dominated by its freshness and roundness of palate, a supple red wine showing great purity of fruit over a smooth length of fine savoury tannins.

Gemtree established a block of Tempranillo on heavy clay soils at McLaren Flat in 1999, significant in being the first estate vineyard to be bio dynamically husbanded and to receive organic certification. Grapes are all hand picked and fermented on skins for a fortnight, hand plunged, pressed off skins and drained into a selection of well seasoned oak puncheons for ten months, racked and bottled without any fining or filtration, to retain pastoral sauvage. Think cranberry and raspberries, black olive, prosciutto and spice, delectable savouryness from nose to finish.

Dry River are a first growth of Martinborough. One of the region's earliest believers. The crescent shaped appellation lies along the edge of a river terrace formed by the Ruamahunga and Huangarua Rivers. An artisanal accord of Tempranillo and Pinot Noir, Viognier and Shiraz. All the varietals are in balance though the tannin profile might give it away. Delicate acidity to underline the fruit, a story of exquisite balance and harmony and elocution, a mineral thread entwines with the faintest hint of dried herb, the finish is long with the freshness of lingering flavours.