Introduction
This hugely popular red wine is produced from what used to be one of the most widely planted red grape varieties in the world, but which has now been surpassed by the fast expanding Tempranillo. However, it is still the dominant variety in Southern Aragón. Grenache is sometimes referred to as Tintorera, a nod to the dark red dye like quality that this inky purple grape adds to this wine. Grenache (pronounced greh-NAASH) when blended with Ribera del Duero, was a favourite wine of Winston Churchill.
Grapes
Grenache grape variety ripens late in the year. It needs the hot, dry conditions typically found in Spain and in the South of France, with the thick stalk of the vine making it suitable for windy climates. It may lack acid, tannin and colour and is thus usually blended with other varieties such as Syrah, Carignan and Cinsaut. Grenache is the dominant variety in the majority of Southern Rhône wines, in particular, Châteauneuf-du-Pape where it constitutes over 80% of the blend as well as forming the basis of the red wines of Gigondas. Grenache tends to have a high alcohol content and needs careful control of yields for best results. In commercial production, the vine produces a good yield one year followed by a ‘lighter’ yield the next, whilst it recuperates.
Similar to Pinot Noir, Grenache appears as black, ‘Grenache Noir’, as in Garnatxa Fina and in Alicante Bouschet, where Grenache Noir was crossed with Petit Bouschet, also as grey, ‘Grenache Gris’, another popular wine in France as well as in a white form too, where ‘Grenache Blanc’ forms an important element of several white wines from the Rhône in addition to being blended with Roussanne.
History and Growing Locations
Whilst it favours the hot, dry conditions of Spain, nevertheless, it is nowadays successfully grown wider afield, especially in France, California and Australia.
Grenache is believed to have originated in Aragon before spreading over the French Pyrenees. It is the same grape variety as Cannonau, a variety claimed to have originated in Sardinia. So perhaps it can be suggested that Grenache may have come from Sardinia before being imported to Spain under Aragon rule in the 14th and 15th centuries. By the 19th century Grenache was well established in the Roussillon region, the Languedoc and in the Southern Rhone region. It was not planted in the Rioja until the early 20th century when vineyards were replanted due to a phylloxera epidemic.
In 1844, cuttings from the South of France were introduced into South Australia by a Dr. Christopher Rawson. The cuttings were planted and boomed, especially in McLaren Vale in Barossa Valley and Clare Valley respectively. Whilst the majority of this production was used as fortified wine and sold as port, recently unfortified wine has enjoyed increased interest either as a single varietal or in ‘GSM’ blends such as Shiraz and Mataro. In 1961 a cross between Grenache and Cabernet Sauvignon resulted in the French wine grape Marélan. Until the mid1960s, Grenache had been the most widely planted red wine grape until it was surpassed by Shiraz.
Key Flavours
Grenache displays a variety of flavours and aromas, including black pepper, black olive, dark chocolate and sweet red fruits such as blackcurrant which may make it taste ‘jammy.’
Popularity
Grenache is not as popular as Cabernet or Merlot, with its colonization of the New World being limited apart from its strongholds in Australia and California. Grenache has enjoyed more attention recently due to the increased popularity of the Rhone Ranger’s movement in California, where new cuttings are imported from the Rhone Valley, with the result that more plantings of Grenache are being made each year in destinations including Mexico, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay and South Africa.
Main Uses
Due to its high sugar levels, Grenache is used extensively in fortified wines such as the red vins doux naturels of Roussillon, a sweet fortified wine from French Catalonia, with Banyuls, a fortified dessert wine being the best known example, as well as being a base for several Austrialian ports. In Spain it is particularly important in Rioja.
Other Names
There are numerous synonyms for Grenache, including Alicante Grenache, Garnacha Comun, Granrojo Granacha, Garnacha Negra, Grenache Noir, Grenache Rouge, Tentillo, Tinto Aragones, Tinto Menudo, Tocai Rosso and Uva di Spagna to name but a few.
So next time you desire to wet your pallet with a glass or two of delicious red wine, choose Grenache as much as for its flavoursome variety as its intriguing colour. You won’t be disappointed.
