Ah. Nothing increases my tasting experiences as Texas Election Fund raisers... Becker Vineyards Tempranillo Reserve.

Tempranillo Wine Profile
Posted by Wine Folly : http://winefolly.com/tutorial/tempranillo-wine/


MAJOR REGIONS: Spain, Portugal, USA, Australia (hot and dry regions)

Tempranillo Characteristics
FRUIT: cherry, plum and tomato
OTHER: leather, tobacco, vanilla, and clove
OAK: Yes. Commonly 12-18 mo. in American or French Oak
TANNIN: Medium (+)
ACIDITY: Medium (-)
ABV: 13-14.5%

What Does Tempranillo Wine Taste Like?

When you first taste a Spanish Tempranillo you’ll get hit with the flavor of leather along with cherries. The finish is mild, smooth and lingers with tannin on both sides of your mouth. American and other New World Tempranillo delivers tons of cherry and tomato-sauce flavors followed by chunky tannin. Tempranillo is technically a medium-bodied wine with red fruit characteristics. If you’ve never tried Tempranillo before you’ll find it tastes similar to Sangiovese and Cabernet Sauvignon.

My first tasting was in 1972 in a Rioja Crianza from Spain in Austin, Texas. It was remarkable then... and it still remarkable in this Becker Wineyards Tempranillo Reverse from Texas. Thankfully, it does not have the taste of leather in it! It is ironic that it was recommended me by Dan Santhos of Dan's #4, which I must report today is closed, for the purpose of curing a Spanish leather wine bag for a friend at Southwestern University, Georgetown, Texas. The Becker Tempranillo tasted nothing like leather, either before or after the first slip. It was a beautiful, tasty red wine. I hope you find it to be so, too.

" An Irishman, A Kentucky Colonel, and A Japanese Samurai enter a bar ... Whiskey Party!"

County Louth Cooley distillery which makes some of Ireland's best-known whiskey has been bought by the US-based Beam Inc. Cooley distillery owns and produces the Kilbeggan, Connemara, Tyrconnell and Greenore brands. Beam Inc. is one of the world's leading premium spirits companies owning brands such as Jim Beam, Maker's Mark and Canadian Club. The leading markets for Irish whiskey, according to Impact, the popular spirits, beer, and wine publication of M. Shanken Communications, Inc. are the United States, Ireland, the United Kingdom, France, South Africa and Germany.

Japanese family-owned Suntory is to buy the US Beam, the company behind the Jim Bean bourbon brand. It will make Suntory the world's third largest maker of distilled drinks. The two companies have a previous partnership whereby they distribute each other's brands in different markets. Beam's brands also include Maker's Mark bourbon, Sauza tequila, and Courvoisier cognac. Suntory is best-known for the Japanese whisky brands Yamazaki, Hakushu, and Midori liqueur and Bowmore Scotch whisky. In 2013, UK's GlaxoSmithKline sold its Lucozade and Ribena brands to Suntory.