Wailing and Grenaching
Miss out on the delights of this versatile grape and there’ll be...
THERE seems to be a day for everything these days. Star Wars Day is May 4, National Dog Day falls on August 26 and International Grenache Day is about to arrive on September 21. Grenache in my view is especially worthy of its own day, thanks to its broad spread, from the workhorse that fleshes out blends, to the bounty of ancient vines that can be as iconic, ethereal and powerful as the sound of Elvis Presley echoing from Mount Rock.
In France alone, Grenache achieves a wild range of wines, from the prestigious potent blends of Châteauneuf-du-Pape to the pale delicacy of Provençal rosé. In food terms, this means that Grenache can cover all bases, whether you’re planning to devour a steak fit for a T-Rex or nibble on a slenderising salad. It can even be a blast with blue cheese if you pair it with the sweet ‘vin doux naturel’ wine of Banyuls which, by a miracle, also pairs well with dark chocolate.
Over in Sardinia, Grenache goes by the local name Cannonau, where legend has it the antioxidant-rich compounds in the wine promote heart health and by implication long life. All I can tell you for certain is that paired with a warming stew it feels like the world is smiling at you, even on the drizzliest day.
And that’s another thing I love about Grenache – its friendliness. Over in Spain as Garnacha it loves making friends with other grapes, most notably in Rioja, where it’s often paired with Tempranillo and the other blending grapes to give some spice and ballast.
In Australia, the GrenacheShiraz-Mourvèdre blends (GSM for short) are worth noting as autumn creeps up on us for some superbly warming bottles, such as Tesco Finest McLaren Vale GSM 2015 (14.5%) £8.The USA also has decent offerings but look to South Africa and Chile for the future, where I’m getting a glimpse of immense potential that, for now, remains sensational value for money. But wherever your wine comes from, look for old vine Grenache for a surprising level of elegance and complexity balanced with grin-raising intensity.
Happy days indeed.