Medium-bodied with seductive flavours of blueberries, cherries and dark plums. The French oak maturation provides subtle savoury, spice characters with a pleasing soft and silky texture to the mid palate. A long, persistent finish makes this a great wine for Spanish or games dishes.

Chris Taylor and his Quattro Mano wines have certainly made their mark on the modern Australian wine scene. Using 'alternate' Mediterranean varieties like this Tempranillo, Taylor handcrafts flavoursome and yet medium to full-bodied wines of utmost character. This Novillo Temp is choc full of dark berries, liquorice and that traditional hint of cola. Simply delectable.

Marqués De Riscal Tempranillo displays dark cherry, with violet hues. Beautifully fresh nose of black forest fruit, liquorice and toasted nuances brought on by the oak casks. Good balance between fruit and ok on the palate, medium bodied with lovely soft tannins.

There are minuscule volumes produced of the Cirsion by Bodegas Roda (the name of the thistle which is Roda's logo) which is made from grapes specially selected for the suppleness of the tannins they deliver. Parcels selected are from low-yielding older Tempranillo vines of 45 years and more, from four vineyards. Choosing the plants with the softest tannins, this makes the wine very attractive and supple early on, but it still has great ageing potential.

Made by famed Spanish producer, Martin Codax, who started producing wine in Rias Baixas before expanding into Bierzo, Ribera del Duero and Rioja. Musica En El Camino is fruitdriven, modern, easy drinking with a healthy dash of oak. This is foolproof Rioja.

Created by wine specialists from eleven different countries, this innovative brand aims to bring together the worlds best drops under a single, distinctive, quality mark - the woolly red sweater of Tussock Jumper. This Tempranillo has the aroma of black wild fruit like blackberry and mulberry. The palate is soft, silky and well balanced with a full lingering finish. best served at room temperature and your favourite pizza.

Upon much deliberation, our overall masked winner revealed a style and character that provided us with a fairly clear cut insight into the modern day advances of a region etched in history and tradition. Cosme Palacio consistently produces one of our favourite Riojas that always offers incredible value for money. Produced predominantly from Tempranillo grown in cool, relatively high altitude sites, this is modern Rioja that's bright and ready to go thanks to a touch of bottle age. It's medium bodied with fine tannins and juicy in the mouth. Black fruits dominate the flavour profile with some delicate cedar and earthy notes adding complexity to a delicious example from this much loved region.

Stephen Pannell continues to excel with his amazing array of intriguing varietals and blends, capturing significant attention amongst critics and consumers alike. He is without a doubt a name to keep an eye on! Leap into something a little different and unique here, with a blend that manages to capture the essence of the Iberian Peninsula, Spain. Bright and juicy with medium weight, a highly perfumed spectrum of plum and dark berry fruits meet exotic spice and scented florals. There's even a slight meaty character adding to the complexity and gentle savoury tannins round out the package. In a word, delicious! 'The cool, wet summer of 2010-11 has imparted peppery and vegetal aromas, while the palate is medium-bodied and slightly edgy, with some leanness and not a lot of flesh. Smooth, appealing current drinking. A nice take on Portuguese - style reds. Ready to drink now to 2020.' - 90/100. - Sydney Morning Herald, 04 Jun 2013, by Huon Hooke.

A juicy, soft and supple tempranillo bursting with red fruits, hints of anise and raspberry. Great depth of flavour and a long, satisfying finish.

An authentic style of Tempranillo with well resolved tannins and great length of flavour. Some new American oak maturation has imparted a rich toasty vanillin oak note to balance the spicy cherry fruit and earthy flavours of the variety.