Tempranillo blanco is a white Spanish wine grape variety that is grown in the Rioja '' Denominación de Origen'' (DOC). It is a mutation of the red

Tempranillo Tempranillo (also known as Ull de Llebre, Cencibel, Tinto Fino and Tinta del Pais in Spain, Aragonez or Tinta Roriz in Portugal, and several other synonyms elsewhere) is a black grape variety widely grown to make full-bodied red wines in its ...

grape variety that is planted in Rioja. The white grape variety was discovered in a Tempranillo vineyard in the Rioja region by a wine grower in the late 20th century. In 2007, the ''

Consejo Regulador Consejo is a village in the north of Corozal District, Belize. Consejo is located on a point of land where the bays of Corozal and Chetumal meet. Consejo is about 8 miles (12.9 km) from the district capital of Corozal Town, and across the wate ...

'' of Rioja officially sanctioned the use of Tempranillo blanco in the DOC wines of Rioja.

History

Tempranillo blanco was discovered in 1988 by a wine grower in a Tempranillo vineyard near

Murillo de Río Leza Murillo de Río Leza is a village in the province and autonomous community of La Rioja, Spain. The municipality covers an area of and as of 2011 had a population of 1835 people. References Populated places in La Rioja (Spain) ...

in the La Rioja province of northern Spain. While Tempranillo is a dark-skin variety used to produce red wine, the grower discovered that one of his vines had undergone a mutation that produced yellow-green clusters after veraison.Rioja DOC '
Grape Varieties
'' Official Site. Accessed: May 20th, 2012 In the 21st century, the University of La Rioja and the Agricultural Research and Development Centre (CIDA) worked with local wineries (such as Viña Ijalba) to help revive and establish native grape varieties such as Tempranillo.

Use in Rioja

Currently Tempranillo blanco is found only in the Rioja wine region of Spain. In 2007, the Spanish Institute for Foreign Trade working with the ''Consejo Regulador'' of the Rioja region came to an agreement that would allow the planting and use of Tempranillo blanco in white Rioja wines produced under the DOC labels. Tempranillo blanco was one of three native white varieties added to permitted list of Rioja grapes-- Maturana Blanca and Turruntés being the others. Additionally, Maturana Tinta, Maturano, Monastel,

Chardonnay Chardonnay (, , ) is a green-skinned grape variety used in the production of white wine. The variety originated in the Burgundy wine region of eastern French wine, France, but is now grown wherever wine is produced, from English wine, Englan ...

Sauvignon Blanc is a green-skinned grape variety that originates from the Bordeaux region of France. The grape most likely gets its name from the French words ''sauvage'' ("wild") and ''blanc'' ("white") due to its early origins as an indigenous grape in ...

and Verdejo were added with Tempranillo blanco in the first major change of the Rioja

wine laws Wine laws are legislation regulating various aspects of production and sales of wine. The purpose of wine laws includes combating wine fraud, by means of regulated protected designations of origin, labelling practices and classification of wine, a ...

involving grape varieties since the wine region was officially established in 1925.Jacob Gaffney '
Rioja to Allow New Grape Varieties
'' ''The Wine Spectator'' January 29, 2007 Under the DOC rules, in order to have new plantings of Tempranillo blanco vineyards must pull up or uproot a previous planting of another variety. Wineries are able to use Tempranillo blanco in blends or as a varietal bottling.

Viticulture and winemaking

Tempranillo blanco produces medium-sized clusters with loose, average size berries that are yellow-green in color. The variety

buds In botany, a bud is an undeveloped or embryonic shoot and normally occurs in the axil of a leaf or at the tip of a stem. Once formed, a bud may remain for some time in a dormant condition, or it may form a shoot immediately. Buds may be specia ...

late but goes through veraison and ripens early. At

harvest Harvesting is the process of gathering a ripe crop from the fields. Reaping is the cutting of grain or pulse for harvest, typically using a scythe, sickle, or reaper. On smaller farms with minimal mechanization, harvesting is the most labor-i ...

the grapes usually have a high malic acid and high levels of aromatic

phenolic compounds In organic chemistry, phenols, sometimes called phenolics, are a class of chemical compounds consisting of one or more hydroxyl groups (— O H) bonded directly to an aromatic hydrocarbon group. The simplest is phenol, . Phenolic compounds are c ...

such as terpenes that contribute floral, tropical and citrus notes to the wine. As a new variety, growers and winemakers are still learning about Tempranillo blanco and the types of wines it can produce. Winemaker Juan Carlos Sancha of Viña Ijalba, which has 1.5 hectares of the grape planted, describes Tempranillo blanco as having ''"...fantastic acidity and aromas, and will combine well with Viura."''

Synonyms

Among the various

synonym A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are all ...

s that Tempranillo blanco has been known under include: Albana, Cencibel de la Mancha, Forenses, Temprana, Tempranilla and Tempranillo de la Rioja. Vitis International Variety Catalogue '
Tempranillo blanco
'' Accessed: May 20th, 2012

References

{{reflist Spanish wine Grape varieties of Spain White wine grape varieties