Top Picks for Thanksgiving Tempranillo

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Top Picks for Thanksgiving Tempranillo After tasting literally hundreds of Tempranillo-based wines over the past month or so, I’ve settled on a varied list to recommend as my top picks for Thanksgiving. While my tastings were not exhaustive, there were certainly enough great wines included for me to be able to highlight several styles.

This list might seem a bit lopsided, featuring wines from both Rioja and California, but I found that these two regions best epitomize the styles of Rioja in the marketplace. Rioja produces classic wines with leaner fruit and more elegance and finesse, while the New World specializes in power, richness and bright fruit.

Each style remains true to what nature has provided to the wine makers. While I may prefer one to the other, I can recommend both very highly. Tempranillo makes a might fine holiday wine, so enjoy a bottle this Thanksgiving and see if you don’t agree!

Photo courtesy Ryan Opaz via Flickr/CC

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