Bobal

Vitis vinifera cultivars form the basis of the majority of wines produced around the world. All of the familiar wine varieties eg. Chardonnay, Shiraz et al belong to Vitis vinifera, which is cultivated on every continent except Antarctica and in all the major wine regions of the world.
There are currently between five and ten thousand varieties of  Vitis vinifera grapes though only a few, in comparative terms, are used for wine and table grape production.
From previous posts and our 2016 wine list you may have noticed we lately have extended our tasting experience to include more overseas wines.
Our preference for Rioja Tempranillo has encouraged us to look for that grape from other Spanish regions.
And we have found a few. One was a blend of Tempranillo and Bobal.
Bobal?
Had never heard of that variety before.
Spain has over a hundred native grapes, both red and white.

Bobal is a red grape variety of Vitis vinifera native to the Uteil-Requena region in Valencia where it accounts for about 90% of the vines grown there.
The name derives from the Latin bovale, in reference to the shape of a bull’s head.
According to the data from the Spanish Vine Registry, Bobal is the third most planted variety in Spain with 90,000 ha (8%), coming behind Airen 305,000 ha (27%) and Tempranillo 190,000 ha (17%).
The must produced from the grape is normally high in colorants and tannins and is suitable both for aging and for blending with other varieties.
We found the Tempranillo Bobal blend much to our liking both in the Reserva and Superior classifications.