Grenache Panache
Despite being a variety that is estimated to be the second most widely planted in the world, Grenache is looked down on as a workhorse grape that is useful in blending and makes decent rosé, but that's about it.
At least, that was the story until recently. There are now indications that Grenache's star is in the ascendant, mainly thanks to the general rise in interest in all things related to the Rhône.
Grenache, after all, is a variety that has proved perfect for the high temperatures of southern France and Spain, and their equivalents in Australia and California. It has strong wood, which allows it to be easily bush-trained, and it enjoys a long growing cycle, producing wines with high alcohol.
It does have its downside, though. The grapes take on colour relatively late, which can mean the wine looks washed-out, particularly when yields have been allowed to rise to ridiculous levels.
The main problem is that Grenache has a reputation for oxidising as soon as the winemaker's back is turned. As a result, it has been used predominantly to impart flavour and alcohol to blends, but is rarely seen on its own. However, in line with the general reappraisal of vines across the world, some winemakers are now taking a long, hard look at Grenache.
They soon realised that, if they stuck to the basic recipe of working with unirrigated, low-yielding, old vines, they could capture some of the most exciting fruit flavours ever found in a glass of wine. They are mouth-wateringly juicy, with touches of damson, cherry, strawberries and pepper, backed up by a wild, earthy element - a perfect match for a wide range of foods.
Proof of Grenache's class has been demonstrated in the southern Rhône for years where, in association with a judicious amount of Syrah, it has produced wines with wild, exciting power and delicious fruitiness.
Gigondas, where it accounts for 80% of the blend, is a case in point, and if Châteauneuf's hotch-potch of permitted varieties gives winemakers a scope that is unusual in France, there are some top producers, notably at Châteaux Rayas and Beaucastel, who will claim that the best vintages are those where Grenache is the dominant variety in the blend.
Given that it is also the main variety in Tavel, widely considered to be France's most serious rosé, it is surprising that Grenache has not been more widely praised before.
For proof of its versatility, look no further than the vins doux naturels, which are produced along the curve of coastline from Sete to the Spanish border, and in particular Banyuls, whose Grand Cru wines are a minimum of 80% Grenache.
Although the variety is widely believed to be French, it originally hails from Spain where it is known as Garnacha and is the most widely planted red variety. But, as in France, it has generally been seen as a solid, high-yielding, unpretentious grape that has been used to make either red wines with plump fruit but little personality, or (in Navarra particularly) as the foundation for good, dry rosés. In other words, a useful grape to have about the place, but nothing to write home about.
Thankfully, though, there are signs that winemakers are now taking the time and effort to discover its hidden potential and importers such as Moreno Wines and Laymont & Shaw are nailing their colours to Garnacha's mast.
Bruce Kendrick of Haughton Agencies felt that Garnacha was even more of a possibility than Grenache. "It lies around northern Spain in vast quantities and on aged bush vines," he said. "The three years of drought has naturally reduced yields to 30-35 hectolitres per hectare and stunning, concentrated fruit is being produced.
"In the Languedoc, you find similar amounts of old Carignan vines, but to make that variety acceptable you need to put 50% through carbonic maceration. Grenache doesn't need that - you can capture all the natural fruit flavours, even a wonderful peppery character."
Until recently it has only been the few brave souls who make the trek to the forbidding tiny mountain enclave of Priorato who discovered the heights that Garnacha could reach.
Here, high on pure slate slopes, wines are produced with astonishing intensity - and high levels of natural alcohol - which seem capable of ageing infinitely. These days, winemakers are experimenting with different techniques and varieties, such as Syrah and Cabernet, to tame the often impenetrable density of old-style Priorato, and are producing more approachable - if equally rich - wines that don't need to be attacked with a knife and fork.
Staple variety
Garnacha has long been the staple variety of Rioja Baja and Navarra, used in the former to give a vibrance to Riojas intended for early release, and in the latter for its strawberry and cream rosados.
This first changed when Jesus Martinez-Bujanda, winemaker at the eponymous Riojan bodega, decided to prove a point and show that, if picked cool and handled carefully, Garnacha would not oxidise immediately and could even stand up to long wood-ageing.
Other bodegas, particularly in Navarra, are now following in his wake. Here, producers such as Guelbenzu and Agramont are using old, low-yielding vines to produce a deeply intense unwooded wine.
The story is repeated with minor variations in the New World. In California, for example, Grenache was planted in the Central Valley for use as base wine for "port" styles and rosés. Thanks to the work of winemakers such as Bonny Doon's Randall Grahm, who has followed the principle of using low-yield, dry-farmed vines, the picture is changing.
In Australia, too, pockets of rebellious aficionados have begun to emerge from the bush, in particular in the Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale. The argument is a logical one: if they can produce serious Shiraz from old vines, then why can't old Grenache reach a similar status? The answer is that it can, producing wines that combine sound structure and pack each mouthful with ripe fruit flavours.
It is part of the same process that is being seen in Spain and France - the rediscovery of old varieties, the belief that by adapting tradition and indigenous varieties to modern ends you can give a region a coherent identity.
Kendrick sums up: "The Old World, and Spain in particular, has an undiscovered jewel - a variety that can produce rich styles that are perfect with chargrilled meats as well as lighter, fruitier examples that match well with fish, such as red mullet or turbot."
Given that the public are looking for wines with the immediacy to match cuisine where fresh flavours are fundamental, then Grenache, with its enjoyable fruitiness, could fit the bill perfectly.
