Spotlight On: Grenache
By Chuck Sudo in Food on Aug 11, 2006 3:10PM
One of the primary contradictions of casual wine drinkers is that they talk about their love of dry wines, yet tend to favor sweeter wines. Thankfully, for them, there's the grenache grape. Grenache wines are commonly noted for their sweetness, and make for a wonderful gateway to educating oneself about wines.
Grenache is grown in both red and white varietals. Grenache Noir, in particular, is one of the world's most commonly cultivated wine grapes. You'll primarily find grenache planted in hot, dry winemaking regions, like Provencal and Rhône in France, Spain's Priorat and Navarra regions (the grenache vine originated in Spain), and central California. When grown in areas where the yields are low, grenache grapes have a very robust, indigo hue. Otherwise, they lack in color.
The vines of the grenache grape have very thick stalks, which make the varietal suitable for growing under gusty conditions, as the grapes remain stabilized while cooling in the early evening. As a result, grenache grapes tend to be very high in sugar, low in tannins, and produce wines with a high alcohol content - around 15-16 percent, by volume.
You can find wines made exclusively from grenache, but because of the grape's sweetness, grenache often is the foundation for some amazing blends, as the sugar content heightens and complements the other grapes. In Rhône, grenache is the primary grape in chäteauneuf-du-pape. In Spain, grenache is blended mainly with tempranillo, except in Priorat, where syrah or cabernet thrive, and are blended with grenache.
As usual, when we write these wine primers, we have some recommendations for you after the jump.
If you're interested in sampling some grenache, here are some wines for you to hunt down:
- Domaine Rosé Dieu 2005 ($7.50): This Provencal wine is a possible blend with syrah; there was no mention on the label other than that it was a "red table wine." It has a nice ruby color, with slow legs on the glass, and a hint of white pepper on the palate, which is why we're thinking that this is a blend with syrah.
- André Brunel 2004 ($7.75): This wine is a darker violet in color, with a warm nose that lets you know there's some kick to the wine. During tasting we picked up some hints of blackberry and plums, with an undertone of spice added from French oak. This wine also has a dry finish from the oak that intensifies after you've finished sipping.
- Tres Picos Garnacha 2004 ($9): This Spanish grenache has an inky structure, with a warm nose. Upon tasting, it's sweet, with hints of sandalwood and leather.
- Beckman Vineyards Rosé 2005 ($18): You folks who can't (or won't) drink red wines should get your hands on a bottle of this amazing rosé. Made from 100 percent grenache, it's a hazy, blood orange color in the bottle that opens to a copper glow in your glass. It's warm and full-bodied, the flavor teeming with bright fruits, like strawberry and raspberry. It finishes with a pronounced creamy flavor. We would pair this with a dessert in a heartbeat.