It’s spooky season! That time of the year when Halloween becomes top of mind. Everyone has a different way of celebrating Allhallows Eve, whether scary or sweet. From pumpkin carving to trick-or-treating, haunted houses, ghouls, goblins and more, there are various takes on Oct. 31 to fit any mood.
We could say the same about certain grapes! Whether you’re desiring something dry or sweet, red, white or rosé, some grapes offer it all. One of these versatile varieties is grenache, and just like the diversity of revelers on Halloween, it can be found around the world masquerading in different colors and styles. This October, the ghosts can wait while we celebrate the many expressions of grenache.
The most common grenache bottles found on store shelves and restaurant lists are of the grenache noir grape, made as red wine with bright red berry flavors along with a bit of spice, high alcohol, and moderate acidity. Grenache noir can also be used in the production of rosé wines with less skin contact creating a pink color in the wine.
Grenache gris is another grape used to make dry and sweet wines, as well as rosés, usually coming from the south of France.
There is also grenache blanc, which is common in the southern Rhône Valley, where it is typically blended with other white grapes, but it can be found as a single varietal wine in places like California’s Paso Robles region.
(Courtesy of McKahn Family Cellars)
McKahn Family Cellars is a family-run winery established in 2014. Winemaker Charles McKahn focuses on wines made with Rhône grape varieties.
Grenache noir, gris and blanc all share the same DNA; they simply have mutations that create different outward expressions, allowing for a diverse range of grenache wines to explore.
Though there is some debate over the exact origins of the grape, many experts say grenache originates in northern Spain, where it is referred to as “garnacha.” In Spain, garnacha tinta is grown in regions such as Priorat and is often blended with carignan to create complex, fuller-bodied red wines with more black fruit flavors. In this area, the summers are dry and hot, which is the right climate for late-ripening, heat-loving grenache. A blending partner in the Spanish region of Rioja, where it is joined by tempranillo, garnacha is also one of the main grapes in the northern Spanish regions of Calatayud, Navarra and Cariñena.
(Jacqueline Coleman for Biscayne Time)
Banyuls wines come from the southeastern corner of Roussillon in France.
Across the Pyrenees, grenache grows widely in the Languedoc-Roussillon region of France, where it is used to make fresh red wines, rosés and sweet fortified wines called vins doux naturels (VDNs) from AOCs (appellation d’origine contrôlée) such as Banyuls and Maury. Vin doux naturel is produced similarly to how port is made in Portugal, with alcohol being added during fermentation to kill the yeast, boost the alcohol and leave unfermented sugars in the finished wine, leading to a powerful and flavorful sweet, high-alcohol wine.
Grenache is one of the most important grapes in the southern Rhône Valley, where it is a big part of all red, white or rosé Côtes-du-Rhône or Côtes-du-Rhône Villages wines. The famed region of Châteauneuf-du-Pape allows 13 different grapes in blends, with grenache being a principal one. Other AOCs such as Gigondas, Vacqueyras, Lirac or the rosé-only region of Tavel also use grenache as a primary grape.
Are you ready to drink some grenache?
The Lavau Côtes-du-Rhône Blanc 2018 is a refreshing wine, and it is a perfect bottle for South Florida. Chill it down and enjoy this fresh, highly aromatic blend of 60% grenache blanc and 40% viognier anytime. Aromas and flavors of lemon citrus, white flowers and peaches are held together with firm but modest acidity in a medium-bodied wine that leaves plenty of fruit behind for a pleasant, lingering finish. This is a bottle that would be great with any freshly caught fish dinner.
If your mantra is “rosé all day,” you can live that while drinking the 2020 Rosé of Grenache from McKahn Family Cellars. This California-made version of a South of France-style rosé shows lovely aromas of strawberry, passion fruit and jasmine. Plus, if supporting small producers is your thing, McKahn Family Cellars is a family-run winery out of Napa Valley that focuses on all those great Rhône varieties, like grenache.
For a bit of a different take on grenache noir, head over to the Barossa Valley in Australia, where old vines (47-100+ years) grow. The 2018 Langmeil Rough Diamond Grenache is an example of how this grape can be greatly successful outside of its native regions. This fuller-bodied red wine has flavors of ripe black cherry, dried cranberry and peppery spice. Enjoy it with grilled lamb, duck or BBQ ribs.
Finally, a conversation about grenache would not be complete without a mention of Banyuls. It’s not always easy to find a bottle of this sweet treat, but 305Wines.com has the 2017 M. Chapoutier Banyuls Rimage available. Aromas and flavors of dried red berries, figs, plums and baking spice may remind you of the holidays, but this thick, medium-sweet fortified wine with smooth acidity, tannins and a long candied fruit finish can be enjoyed with dark chocolate year-round.