Easy to drink, fruity blends from Spain

For more than 200 years The Spanish winemaking family Osborne has had a major presence in Spain and Portugal  most notably for producing sherry (jerez). Most people recognize the Osborne brand by the black bull, el Toro de Osborne, which has, over the years, been adopted as a symbol of Spain itself.

But the latest Osborne is much , much younger. She’s Rocio Alonso-Allende Osborne, the sixth generation of the family to undertake winemaking. Reflective of her generation, Rocío keeps in the public eye with a blog, Facebook page and Twitter site, all of which remind us that winemaking, just like wine itself, is a living, ever-changing endeavor.

Because Osborne’s family estate is outside the DO (denominacion de origen, which strictly controls which grapes may be grown and vinified, similar to Italy’s DOC and DOCG laws), they also grow grape varietals more familiar to most Americans, including cabernet sauvignon, merlot and shiraz, aka syrah.

Rocio’s wines are labeled Tempra-Tantrum, taking the name from the dominant role played by the tempranillo grape, perhaps Spain’s best-known and primary grape. The four Tempra Tantrum bottlings, are each a blend of 60 percent tempranillo and 40 percent cab sauvignon, merlot, shiraz or Grenache.

These are lush, bright fruit wines produced with modern wine making techniques, including micro-oxygenation, to make sure these wines are table ready when you buy them.

“I wanted to create wines that were vibrant, lush, fruit-forward and an expression of modern Spain - my Spain,” said Rocio on the Tempra Tantrum Web site. “Tempra Tantrum is more than a wine; to me, it represents all things in life that inspire enthusiasm.”

If innovation and “contemporary sensibility” is what Rocio Osborne is after, it seems she’s reached that. These aren’t your father’s tempranillo; they should appeal to wine drinkers looking for a fruit-forward, easy drinking glass of wine.

All of the wines are priced around $10 per bottle; the caveat is the wines still aren’t available everywhere. Check your favorite wine shop.

After growing up in Spain between vines, casks, family traditions and the smell of wine aging slowly, Rocío lived in London working as a banker for awhile become coming back home to work in the family business.

After six years of honing her business management skills, Rocío decided to leave the financial world in order to pursue her true passion, wine. Because wine is a way of life in the Osborne family, Rocío’s wine knowledge has been enriched through exposure at family gatherings and through personal exploration and study. In order to solidify her knowledge, Rocío continues to seek opportunities to expand her wine education. In 2007, Rocío completed training courses from the Sherry Consejo Regulador and received an Advanced Certificate in Wine and Spirits (level 3) from the Wine & Spirit Education Trust.