Grenache | Good Wine and Champagne

twitter about grenache

RT @beaucastel: We are harvesting some Grenache White today in Chateauneuf. Weather is ok; but we are expecting some rain tomorrow.From: jebdunnuck  Mon, 06 Sep 2010 16:37:51 +0000 Top bottles over lunch w @Kvintners - Kung Fu Girl Riesling 09, Milbrandt Syrah 08 & The Boy Grenache. All v pure and wonderfully fresh.From: bibendumwine  Mon, 06 Sep 2010 15:46:21 +0000 @fddlgrl buy 6 bots Grenache and free olive oil.Buy 12 bots and free bot Grenache.Only available at cdoor if you mention fb/twitterFrom: chapelhillwine  Mon, 06 Sep 2010 18:07:43 +0000 Grenache simplified: http://bit.ly/apU1X9From: Franklinliquors  Mon, 06 Sep 2010 15:11:33 +0000 Finally, Brilliant California Grenache! http://conta.cc/96Uj9P via #constantcontactFrom: VineyardGate  Mon, 06 Sep 2010 16:26:27 +0000 Celebrating Grenache, the Grape for all Seasons via Sommelier India - India's only wine magazine http://tinyurl.com/3ao2unzFrom: sommelierindia  Mon, 06 Sep 2010 17:06:51 +0000 The Grenache is looking great! Only a couple more weeks for rose and a couple weeks after that for the reds. Bring on the '10 harvest!!From: deuxpunx  Mon, 06 Sep 2010 19:38:55 +0000 RT @sowine: First International Grenache Day - 24 September 2010 - http://bit.ly/bK2VXP #Grenache #GrenachedayFrom: Ludovicgenard  Mon, 06 Sep 2010 16:58:52 +0000

Grenache (pronounced gren-ash) (in Spanish, Garnacha, in Catalan, Garnatxa) is one of the most widely planted red wine grape varieties in the world. It ripens late, so needs hot, dry conditions such as those found in Spain, the south of France, and California's San Joaquin Valley. It is generally spicy, berry-flavored and soft on the palate with a relatively high alcohol content, but it needs careful control of yields for best results. It tends to lack acid, tannin and color, and is usually blended with other varieties such as Syrah, Carignan and Cinsaut. Grenache is the dominant variety in most Southern Rhône wines, especially in Châteauneuf-du-Pape where it is typically over 80% of the blend. In Australia it is typically blended in "GSM" blends with Syrah and Mourvèdre. Grenache is also used to make rosé wines in France and Spain, notably those of the Tavel district in the Côtes du Rhône. And the high sugar levels of Grenache have led to extensive use in fortified wines, including the red vins doux naturels of Roussillon such as Banyuls, and as the basis of most Australian fortified wine.

Ampelographical evidence suggest that Grenache is most likely of Spanish origins, with the northern region of Aragon being its likely home. An early synonym for the vine was Tinto Aragonés (red of Aragon). A competing theory has the Italian island of Sardinia (where the grape is known as Cannonau) as the possible originating source[citation needed] with the vine being introduced to Spain sometime in the 14th or 15th century when Sardinia was under Aragon rule. Grenache, under its Spanish synonym Garnacha, was already well established on both sides of the Pyrenees when the Roussillon region was annexed by France. From there the vine made its way through the Languedoc and to the Southern Rhone region where it was well established by the 19th century. Despite its prevalence in nearby Navarra and Catalonia, Garnacha was not widely planted in the Rioja till the early 20th century as vineyards were replanted following the phylloxera epidemic.

Grenache was one of the first varieties to be introduced to Australia in the 18th century and eventually became the country's most widely planted red wine grape variety until it was surpassed by Shiraz in the mid 1960s. Early Australian Grenache was a main component in the sweet fortified wines that was the lynchpin of the early Australian wine industry. In the 19th century, California wine growers prized the vine's ability to produce high yields and withstand heat and drought conditions. The grape was extensively planted throughout the hot San Joaquin Valley where it was mainly used as a blending component for pale, sweet jug wines. In the late 20th century, the Rhone Rangers movement brought attention to the production of premium varietal Grenache and Rhone style blends modeled after the Grenache dominate wines of Châteauneuf-du-Pape. In the early 20th century, Grenache was one of the first Vitis vinifera grapes to be successfully vinified in during the early development of the Washington wine industry with a 1966 Yakima Valley rosé earning mention in wine historian Leon Adams treatise The Wines of America.

The Grenache vine is characterized by its strong wood canopy and upright growth. It has good wind tolerance (which is useful in the Mistral influenced Rhone region) and has shown itself to be very suited for the dry, warm windy climate around the Mediterranean. The vine buds early and requires a long growing season in order to fully ripen. Grenache is often one of the last grapes to be harvested, often ripening weeks after Cabernet Sauvignon. The long ripening process allows the sugars in the grape to reach high levels, making Grenache based wines capable of substantial alcohol levels often north of 15% ABV. While the vine is generally vigorous, it is susceptible to various grape diseases that can affect the yield and quality of the grape production such as coulure, bunch rot and downy mildew due to the vine's tight grape clusters. Marginal and wet climates can increase Grenache's propensity to develop these viticultural dangers. The vine's drought resistance is dependent on the type of rootstock it is planted on but on all types of rootstocks, Grenache seems to respond favorably to some degree of water stress.