Tempranillo is a Spanish red-wine grape variety and the wine made from it, renowned for producing medium- to full-bodied wines with cherry, plum, and tobacco notes. It is also the dominant grape in many Ribera del Duero and Rioja blends. The term identifies both the grape and its characteristic wine style in Spanish-speaking regions and export markets.
"I paired the Tempranillo with a hearty lamb dish to bring out its plum flavors."
"The Rioja Tempranillo exhibited balanced acidity and ripe berry notes."
"She ordered a Tempranillo from a Rioja producer to explore traditional aging nuances."
"Winemakers in Ribera del Duero rely on Tempranillo as the backbone of their blends."
Tempranillo derives from the Spanish diminutive suffix -illo attached to the adjective temprano, meaning early. The root temprano conveys “early,” referencing the grape’s early ripening relative to other varieties. The term appears in Spanish wine culture by at least the 19th century, aligning with regional naming practices that label grape varieties by distinctive traits. The word entered broader English usage in the 20th century as Tempranillo became the leading grape in Rioja and Ribera del Duero blends. The meaty, cherry- and berry-forward profile associated with Tempranillo then became a hallmark of Spanish red wine identity, reinforcing the grape’s international recognition. The etymology reflects agricultural naming conventions that connect plant characteristics with linguistic forms, a pattern seen in other Spanish varietal labels like Garnacha and Verdejo, where regional heritage and grape behavior merge to shape the lexical landscape of wine terminology.
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Words that rhyme with "Tempranillo"
-llo sounds
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Pronounce Tempranillo as tem-pran-EE-yo with emphasis on the second syllable: tem-PRAN-i-llo in many English contexts, and a crisper Spanish-influenced version tem-pran-NEE-yo. IPA (US/UK): US: /ˌtɛmˈpræ.ni.oʊ/; UK: /ˌtemˈpræ.niː.ɒl/; focus on the ei-sound for the 'i' and a light final 'o' or 'yo'. Mouth positions: start with a light t, then a rolled or flapped r in some speakers, open mid vowels, and an ending labiovelar glide for -llo. If you want a native-like finish, keep the 'll' as a clear palatalized L.
Common errors include flattening the stress to tem-PRAN-i-o, misplacing the stress on the first syllable, or running the four segments together as tempranjio. Also, English speakers sometimes replace the final -illo with -eeyo or -iyo; instead, keep a crisp -i-yo with a light -llo ending. Corrective steps: emphasize the second syllable if you aim for Spanish cadence, practice the -n- sound before -i-, and separate the final -llo so the l-l linkage isn’t swallowed.
In US English, Tempranillo often becomes tem-PRAN-i-oh with a delinquent final -o; UK speakers may naturalize the -ll as a dark L with a faint y-like glide so tem-PRAN-yoh. Australian speakers tend to be flatter with vowel reductions, giving tem-pran-NEE-oh or tem-pran-nee-yo depending on exposure. The key is the second syllable stress and the /ni/ cluster between n and i; keep syllable boundaries clear to avoid conflating into tem-pran-yo.
Three aspects make Tempranillo tricky: (1) the rolling conjunction of ‘pran’ with an implied Spanish r color; (2) the -illo ending with a double L and the y-like glide; and (3) the stress shifting to the second syllable in Spanish rhythm, which many learners approximate incorrectly in English. Practice the sequence tem-pran-i-llo with a light alveolar tap for r, and ensure the -ll remains a clear, palatal or light L rather than a merge into -lio.
Tempranillo’s critical elements include: the initial 'Tem' as a short, crisp onset; the strong 'PRAN' cluster requiring a short /p/ release and a clean /r/; the 'i' before the final 'llo' that almost sounds like -ee-yo in Spanish; and the final -llo where the second L should stay light and not assimilate into a -o. Focus on segmenting tem-pran-i-llo and practicing each transition slowly before final speed, ensuring each phoneme has its own breath and tongue position.
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