Tempranillo vs Malbec

Ancient Argentine Malbec vine

A wine merchant once let me onto a secret about ordering from an unfamiliar wine list: go for the Rioja or the Malbec and you can’t go wrong. Some of my favourite wines lately have been Malbecs and Ribera del Duero or Riojas, both of the latter based on Tempranillo grapes although the latter tends to be blended with other varietals. 

We fell in love with Malbecs after I read The Vineyard at the End of the World. I loved that book and the story of how a rotgut wine made from ancient Argentinian grapevines was brought back to life by enterprising wine lovers. We tried our first taste of Malbec at the Black Pig wine bar in Kinsale eons ago and have been drinking it ever since. It was that memorable.

Even longer ago, in the 1980s, a friend introduced me to Marqués de Cáceres, a Rioja that was almost unknown on the world stage at the time. He was a wine merchant and would deliver cases of it for about $2.50 a bottle. It was my house wine for years. I didn't know at the time that it was based on the Tempranillo grape. Of course, now the Marqués de Cáceres Crianza sells for about €16.95 while the Reserva goes for twice that. 

The Marqués de Cáceres winery was founded in 1970 by Enrique Forner, and it quickly gained recognition for its high-quality Rioja wines. Forner chose Tempranillio given that a century before wine producers and merchants from Bordeaux had chosen La Rioja vines when fleeing the phylloxera plague. This Crianza Rioja is made from a blend of Tempranillo, Garnacha, and Graciano grapes. It is aged for 12 months in oak barrels and then bottle-aged for an additional 12 months before release. This aging process gives the wine a complex flavour profile with notes of red fruit, vanilla, and spice. I can often buy it here in Ireland. 

The wine is medium-bodied with moderate tannins and acidity, making it a versatile pairing for a variety of foods including grilled meats, roasted vegetables, and hard cheeses. Overall, Marqués de Cáceres Crianza Rioja is a great choice for those looking for a high-quality, traditional Rioja wine.

Marquez de Riscal, founded in 1858, Reserva sells for about €25 and is a blend of Graciano, Mazuelo, and Tempranillo. It is fresh and elegant with aromas and flavours of liquorice, cinnamon, and black pepper, as well as concentrated black fruits and a touch of balsamic. 

Marquez de Riscal has taken up organic and regenerative practices. Marqués de Riscal prolongs the life of its vines thanks to a revolutionary system of rejuvenation. They have won acclaim as the second-best vineyard in the world for the third year running.  It was especially sweet for them as in 2023 the awards were held in Rioja. Catena Zapata from Argentina was chosen as the first-place vineyard. They are the leading producers of Malbec in Argentina. Read about Malbec in Argentina here. We'll be sampling the Catena Zapata this week. 

Sadly for us, I believe we cannot grow either Malbec or Tempranillo here. Both require heat and Malbec requires lots of sun and elevation, neither of which we have at this time. So we'll just have to be content with sampling the occasional bottle of both from the vast choice of vineyards around the world. It shouldn't be too taxing. 

A Ribera del  Duero Tempranillo vine