Tinta Roriz

Tinta Roriz is Portuguese nomenclature for the red grape variety Tempranillo and is responsible for much of the country's highest quality red wine production. It has thick skins and as such is capable of making deep coloured, long-lived wines. It has a propensity to ripen early, hence its name derived from the Spanish 'temprano', which means early and as such, its relatively short growing cycle enables it to thrive in the often harsh Portuguese and Spanish climate, particularly in the Dao of Northern Portugal and Spain's Rioja region.