Is it getting warmer? Or colder? I honestly can’t tell!
One week, we warm up to the mid-60s, the next, it plunges right back down to 30. I am developing weather paranoia.
More importantly, what wine do you drink when the weather has more mood swings than a teenager?
Some red wines can be too big for the warmer days, and some white wines can be too thin for the colder ones.
Enter Grenache – a lovely wine known more for its supporting role in French Chateauneuf du Pape wines than as the lovely little star of the show it is. It’s like the last bowl of oatmeal in Goldilocks – it’s not too big, it’s not too little, it’s just right.
Surprisingly, Grenache – or Garnacha as it is known in Spain – is one of the most widely planted grape varietals in the world. It can be found in France or Spain, mostly in the Priorat region, Australia and the United States, predominately in California and Washington.
It is generally spicy, berry-flavored and soft on the palate with a relatively high alcohol content.
It is usually the dominant grape when blended with other Rhone Valley varietals such as Syrah, Mourvèdre and Cinsaut. It is also used to make rosé wines in France and Spain. It is a star in Australia’s “GSM” blends with Syrah and Mourvèdre.
I grew up in Central California, where Grenache was extensively planted throughout the hot San Joaquin Valley, where it was mainly used as a blending component for sweet jug wines.
Eventually, it became the little darling of the Rhone Rangers movement in California, where it gained commercial success. Today, it can also be found thriving in Washington state, where it can be found in red wine blends as well as the solo star.
Here are a few Grenache wines to get us through these weird weather weeks.
From the Languedoc region comes the delicious 2017 Chateau Maris La Touge. Robert Eden, who believes that wine is “grown” not “made,” produces this Grenache and Syrah blend using fruit from his biodynamic vineyards located in southern France.
Boasting an aromatic bouquet of black fruit and violets on the nose and flavors of ripe black raspberry and smoked meat on the front of the tongue, this wine is both bright and complex at the same time. A touch of eucalyptus and black olive on the juicy finish is enough to keep you coming back for another sip. $19
Australian winemakers love playing around with Grenache, and I think the 2016 d’Arenberg Stump Jump GSM, from the McLaren Vale region of South Australia, is a fun blend of Grenache, Syrah and Mouvedre.
It shows up in the glass with wonderful aromas of violets, black cherry and blueberry jam followed up by luscious flavors of kirsch, licorice, and spice on a medium-bodied frame. The fruit-driven finish is round and expansive. $15
One of my favorite Spanish wines in the “under $20” category is the 2017 QUO Grenache Old Vines from the Campo de Borja region. This lovely wine displays aromas of cherry and strawberry on the bouquet and lush, silky flavors of raspberry, strawberry and jammy red berry that keep building and deepening through the finish. The seductive, intense fruit and fat, round flavors make this wine shine. $12
If you really want to splurge on a special wine, try a bottle of 2017 Tablas Creek Grenache from California’s Paso Robles region.
It has a complex palate of sweet and sour cherries, strawberry jam, cigar box and bramble. The finish is flashy, with notes of dried herbs and black pepper, supported by a round, lush texture. $40
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