GARNACHA / GRENACHE

One European grape, endless possibilities

Wine history defines cultural territories, united by shared traditions and viticultural landscapes, that transcend political and economic borders. This could certainly be said of the regions in North-Eastern Spain and the South of France, where Garnacha/ Grenache has its historical and spiritual home in Europe.

Three PGIs and 14 PDOs within Roussillon Geographical Indications and five Spanish Protected Designations of Origin (Calatayud, Campo de Borja, Cariñena, Somontano and Terra Alta), have now joined forces, supported by European Union AGRIP funds, to promote Garnacha/ Grenache, highlighting that its full potential is best harnessed in its European birthplace. While Garnacha/ Grenache is one of the world’s most widely planted grape varieties, its origin can be traced back to this corner of Europe, where some of the world’s oldest Garnacha/Grenache vines can be found, resulting on low yields, fruit of incredible concentration and complexity, with deep roots established on poor and dry soils, allowing terroir to truly come through in each bottle.

As part of the European

Union’s campaign to promote high quality agricultural products, European Garnacha/Grenache Quality Wines carry guarantee of their provenance and quality, with their regional names, characteristics and products protected by EU

Geographical Indications quality schemes (Protected Designation of Origin, PDO and Protected Geographical Indication, PGI). These ensure excellent quality, European standards covering safety, traceability, authenticity, labelling, respect for the environment and sustainability, as well as the characteristics of EU agricultural and food products, particularly in terms of their quality, taste, diversity or traditions.

European Garnacha/Grenache’s versatility and expressiveness lends itself to a variety of terroirs and winemaking approaches, translated into a variety of styles, from sparkling to still (whites, rosés or reds; either light or full bodied) and even fortified sweet wines, all with multiple food pairing possibilities. Highly sensitive to variations in growing conditions, in both time and place, the variety requires winemakers attuned to how European Garnacha/Grenache, from each given terroir and vintage, can be best handled. An art that winemakers in Mediterranean Europe have mastered, building upon centuries of knowledge passed on from one generation to the next. This joint venture of Spanish and French producers is a tribute to this European legacy, as well as a shared commitment to promote terroir-led expressions of European Garnacha/Grenache, invest in the best viticultural and winemaking practices, and work with a focus on quality and sustainability. The variety’s resilience and adaptiveness, especially when grown on the terroirs where it historically developed, in fact make it particularly suited to face the challenges of climate change.

Join us on a journey of discovery across the European landscapes where Garnacha/Grenache was born and continues to thrive.