What red grape variety is the basis for most Rioja wines?

Tempranillo is the red grape variety that forms the basis of most Rioja wines.

The grape is Rioja’s principal red variety and is prized for producing wines with bright acidity, moderate tannins, and flavors often associated with red fruit, plum, leather, and vanilla after oak aging. Its name comes from temprano, meaning “early” in Spanish, because it ripens earlier than many other Spanish red grapes.

Rioja producers may blend Tempranillo with other permitted varieties, including Garnacha, Graciano, and Mazuelo, also known as Carignan. Those grapes can add aroma, color, alcohol, acidity, or structure, but they are supporting varieties rather than the usual foundation of Rioja’s classic red style. Tempranillo is also widely grown elsewhere in Spain under names such as Tinto Fino and Cencibel, and in Portugal as Tinta Roriz or Aragonez. It is therefore easy to confuse a regional synonym with a different grape.