As we explore new wines and growing regions from all over the world I am almost speechless about the five weeks I spent leading High Five Wine Academy, an online wine club in Canada, in October of 2024.
As a wine coach I value education that includes wines we are familiar with while also helping you step out of your comfort zone. Inch by inch! It can be easier to broaden horizons when you’re in the company of fellow wine students (aren’t we all wine students? Fun Fact: YES YES YES! Wine for beginners. Wine for normal people!) plus you have the guidance of your very own Wine Coach to help you do it! Let me share what it looks like to learn about wine online with me in High Five Wine Club!
With five Wednesdays in October my Wine Besties and I set off to Spain to score Tempranillo!
Now, one important thing we talked about was familiarity. Tempranillo isn’t exactly a household wine in Canada so we’re not necessarily reaching for it as our go-to wine.
Think back to when you moved out of your parents house for the first time and found yourself in the store looking for cleaning supplies. You gravitate to familiar brands without even realizing it.
Oh thank god, I KNOW windex, ok I’ll grab that. Whew, I made a good decision.
Wine is the same! Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc… we see them in our home, on restaurant menus and we feel comfortable with that.
I’ll have a glass of one of those, please.
It’s comforting, even if we don’t necessarily like it, because it’s familiar! This is how many-a-wine-lover stays drinking the same label over and over again. The theory is just human nature! Even toddlers prefer goldfish crackers over strawberries because the crackers taste the same every single time. We rely on consistency!
I have a few really important reasons for my next argument so stay with me…
Tempranillo isn’t usually available by the glass in restaurants but it should be!
Tempranillo isn’t talked about as a wine for beginners but it should be!
Why?
After a month of focusing on this Spanish revelation I have come to an interesting conclusion. Tempranillo is the perfect introductory red wine for new wine drinkers. My theory is in part due to its consistency and also because of its extremely accessible price point.
What it boils down to is this.
Red wine can be expensive, especially when it comes to wine for beginners. When you’re unsure of what to buy, even a $20 bottle of red wine can seem like too much. Then if you do find a red wine you like you might try a new one of the same grape (Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, etc) and it tastes completely different!
What gives!
Tempranillo wines from Spain are all pretty similar. They smell alike. They have the same tasting profile. After scoring five in a row in High Five Wine Academy (only the best wine club in Canada!) we all were surprised by how dependable this wine grape was! Each week we really enjoyed them, enough that we have all purchased more Tempranillo (even though we have moved on to a new wine together as an online wine club).
Why isn’t Tempranillo as a household name?
If we walked through the Spanish section not all of the labels will tell you what type of wine is in the bottle. A red wine from Rioja (the biggest wine region in Spain) could be Tempranillo, Garnacha or even a blend of a few different grapes. A new wine drinker’s brain would explode! It would make you turn on your heel and return to safety among the California Cabernets or the New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs. I wouldn’t blame you!
This is a really common and completely understandable problem when it comes to understanding wine.
One thing even I still do in the wine store that absolutely nobody will ever judge you for is researching in real time. If you don’t know what’s inside the bottle after reading the label, whip out your phone and do some digging. See if you can identify the name of the wine and type it into google, asking what the wine is made of.
The reason High Five Wine Club exists is to take away the guesswork while creating a safe, fun and interactive environment to explore new wines. The best place to start is with a copy of High Five Wine Scoring System so you can journal and keep track of the wines you score, whether with us in High Five Wine Academy on Wednesday evenings or on your own. The second step is to purchase your monthly membership to High Five Wine Club so you have access to all of the calls, recipes, community, education, tips and friendship!
So what does Tempranillo taste like?
Well, for starters it is earthy (think dried herbs, dried leaves, dried tobacco) with plums and red licorice followed by a chalky, smooth texture. Sweetness, acidity and alcohol are well-balanced so not one single element is overwhelming to your palate. They are typically medium bodied, referring to the weight of the wine with great complexity.
PLUS! You can find excellent bottles of Tempranillo for $15-$22!
Tempranillo pairs with really well with very common meals like pizza, nachos, burritos, lasagna (or any tomato based dish), mushroom risotto, BBQ and more.
This is a superb red wine for beginners!
And if you want to learn more about wine and you’ve ever asked yourself, why is wine tasting so difficult, then the High Five Wine Club is for you! Get your first month’s membership for only $5 here! Join High Five Wine Club!
xo
Tonia
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