The Spanish fieasta is here – crack out the Tempranillo (tem-prah-ni-yo) and serve up the chorizo. My forefathers were from Spain, but I am a local through and through. I grew up in the Canberra region and my grapes were carefully picked by hand, only the best will do so naturally I was aged in French oak. I have a curvaceous medium body, a rich mouth feel and plum fruit flavours with earthy hints of mature spice and black tea tannin.

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.

The Canberra District and the Rhone blend of Shiraz and Viognier have been famous bedfellows for the past few decades - for good reason. The unique terroir is harnessed wonderfully by the team at Lerida Estate at their Lake George vineyard and the result is this remarkably intense red wine. Cold soaked, co-fermented with hand plunging and then left to rest on skins for 10 days before resting in French oak for 15 months. It is no wonder flavours of freshly stewed plums, cinnamon, pepper, apricot and vanilla are simply bursting out of the glass.

Running with Bulls Barossa Tempranillo is deep crimson in colour with alluring and evolving aromas. Opening with blueberries, black cherry and cocoa powder the aromas lead to hints of tobacco leaf, Sichuan pepper and rose water. Redcurrants and blueberries are prominent on the palate, with a creamy plush mid palate that finishes with fine dark chocolate tannins.

A rich unmistakable Rioja jammed packed with flavours of ripe dark berries and plum. This bargain has been a favourite of ours for a while now and is a fabulous match to hearty casseroles and spicy sausages.

Marqués de Riscal Próximo is a new addition to the Marqués range and is a bright and fruit driven Rioja style sourced from slightly younger Tempranillo vines. Very strict parcel selection along with traditional picking techniques, this Rioja is bursting with dark blackberry fruit with notes of rich, ripe plums. Hints of liquorice and star anise also give the wine a superb backbone that is perfectly suited many Mediterranean cuisines.

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.

P.A.R. Tempranillo by Nick Spencer - P.A.R. Wines prophets a landscape transitioning away from traditional grape varieties and wine styles of previous generations into an exciting tapestry of vineyards growing varieties that are better suited to our changing climate and winemakers crafting wines better suited to our evolving lifestyle and cuisine. P.A.R refers to a latin saying, examine the past, be in the present and look to the future.