Tempranillo Advocates, Producers, and Amigos Society (known as “TAPAS”) announced that they will hold the first-ever “International Tempranillo Day,” a celebration of the Tempranillo grape with all its regional synonyms.
Organizers are “encouraging everyone to open a bottle of Tempranillo, enjoy the fun, and share their experiences online.”
Tempranillo, indigenous to Spain and used in the great Rioja and Ribera del Duero wines, is planted in 500,000 acres of the world’s vineyards, making it the fourth most planted wine grape, and that would be enough to celebrate.
Until recently, this noble grape’s entire acreage was almost all grown in Spain. Perhaps others were confused by the 60 or more regional synonyms for Tempranillo, which in itself may be a record worth celebrating.
But things have changed: knowledge of this noble grape is rapidly spreading, creating excitement and a spirit of cooperation among adventurous vintners bringing this Old World variety to New World soils. Tempranillo today is grown in many countries including the United States, Italy, Mexico, New Zealand, Chile, Argentina, South Africa, Australia, France, Portugal, Turkey, Canada, China, Thailand, and more. And that’s why we are establishing International Tempranillo Day.
TAPAS is encouraging regional events around the world for September 1, and will be publicizing them as details become available.