Grenache: the wine grape that keeps on giving
Grenache is the ultimate all-rounder. A red grape native to Aragon in Spain, where it’s called garnacha, it can make everything from pale rosé to fortified wine; it’s even used in cava. If there was one grape to take to your desert island, it would have to be grenache, not least because you’d never get bored.
Grenache’s very adaptability means that it has historically been seen as a workhorse, with none of the glamour of, say, pinot noir or syrah. But that’s slowly beginning to change thanks to winemakers such as Justin Howard-Sneyd, a former supermarket wine buyer who now makes wine at Domaine of the Bee in Roussillon. “If you love the perfume and sexiness of pinot noir, but appreciate a riper, rounder style of wine, then I don’t think you need to look much further than grenache,” he says of the grape’s appeal. If you want to know what Howard-Sneyd means, try his excellent The Bee-Side (Hic! has the 14.5% 2022 for £23.75).
Domaine of the Bee is based in the foothills of the Pyrenees, which is just as well because, while grenache needs lots of warmth, it can start to taste a bit jammy if it gets too ripe, and the cool nights found at altitude help it stay fresh. That’s one reason winemakers in Spain are also taking grenache to the hills in Montsant in Catalonia, Sierra de Gredos not far from Madrid and the higher parts of Rioja. In the latter region, Rodolpho Bastida uses grapes grown 600m above sea level for his Ramón Bilbao Limite Sur Garnacha (Slurp has the 2020 for £20), a wine that’s positively alive with crunchy, raspberry fruit and a mineral quality that’s a bit like licking a rock. Come on, we’ve all licked a rock at some point.
The apotheosis of this style of perfumed, elegant grenache is Château Rayas in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, a wine that I am sadly unlikely ever to try because it’s very rare and expensive. Nevertheless, it has been hugely influential on ambitious modern grenache growers. Outside France and Spain, South Africa, Australia and California are all also making grenaches that you might well mistake for burgundies if it weren’t for the tell-tale warmth at the end.
Yes, grenache is usually very alcoholic – no matter how ethereal it might taste, it rarely comes in at less than 14% – so I wouldn’t advise attempting any of the wines in this week’s pick below without some seriously hearty food and perhaps a chauffeur.
Five grenaches that are well worth a try
Torres Sangre de Toro Original 2021 £7.75 Tesco, 13.5%. Mainly grenache with some carignan, there’s raspberry and dark cherry fruit on the palate with some spicy notes and just a little tannin. Would be nice lightly chilled.
La Garnacha Salvaje del Moncayo 2021 £9.99 (on mix six) Majestic, 14.5%. A huge personal favourite, this offers a taste of high-altitude elegance at a bargain price.
Domaine Maby Tavel La Forcadière 2022 £16.95 Yapp Bros, 14%. A rosé that’s darker than many reds, it tastes of very ripe strawberries, spice and orange peel. Goes with pretty much everything.
Whistler Wines Grenache Double Back 2022 £19.50 The Wine Society, 13.9%. From Australia, this is really fresh and crunchy Australian with herbaceous notes and gentle tannins.
Gerard Bertrand Rivesaltes Ambré 2016 £23.03 (by the six-bottle case) Great Wines Direct, 16%. A mellow, port-style wine from the south of France, this is a taste sensation: think orange blossom, candied fruits and walnuts. It’s wonderful with hard cheeses such as manchego.
