Grape variety
Grenache
Grenache, Garnacha in Spain, Cannonau in Sardinia: its origin, the Rhône, Priorat and Australia, taste and what to eat with it.
- Colour
- Red; Grenache Blanc and Grenache Gris are colour mutations
- Origin
- Disputed: by the common view Aragon (northern Spain), but Sardinia claims it as Cannonau; it is certain that the two are the same vine
- Main regions
- Southern Rhône, Languedoc-Roussillon, Priorat, Rioja, Sardinia, Australia
- Typical aromas
- Strawberry, cherry, raspberry, pepper, garrigue herbs
- Classic pairing
- Lamb with herbs, game, grilled meat; the rosé with Mediterranean cooking
- Synonyms
- Garnacha (Spain), Garnatxa (Catalonia), Cannonau (Sardinia)
Grenache is one of the great red grapes of the Mediterranean and carries a different name from country to country: Garnacha in Spain, Garnatxa in Catalonia, Cannonau in Sardinia. The OIV counted about 163,000 hectares in 2015, almost nine tenths of it in France and Spain. The most widely held view puts its home in Aragon in north-east Spain, from where it is said to have reached France in the Middle Ages; Sardinia claims it as its own. The question is not settled; what is certain is that DNA analysis shows Cannonau and Garnacha to be the same vine. Besides red Grenache Noir there are the colour mutations Grenache Blanc and Grenache Gris, which give white wines.
The vine is vigorous, copes very well with heat and drought and thrives on poor, stony soils; it is often trained as a free-standing bush vine without wires. It ripens late, so it needs a long, warm summer. It is prone to downy mildew and to coulure, where the flowers fail to set into berries. The berries gather plenty of sugar, and the wines easily reach 14 per cent alcohol and more. The skin is thin and colour and tannin stay modest. Grenache is therefore often a team player: with Syrah and Mourvèdre it forms the classic blend of the southern Rhône, called “GSM” in Australia.
Its heartland is the western Mediterranean. In the southern Rhône it is the backbone of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, where 13 varieties are admitted (18 if the colour variants are counted separately), and of Gigondas and Vacqueyras; the rosé of Tavel and the rosés of Provence also rest largely on it. In Roussillon many of the sweet vins doux naturels such as Banyuls and Maury are made from it. In Spain it gives dense, concentrated wines in Priorat, on the dark slate of the llicorella and alongside Cariñena; in Rioja it brings freshness and fruit to blends with Tempranillo. In Sardinia it becomes Cannonau di Sardegna. In Australia it was planted early, and in the Barossa there are Grenache vines more than a hundred years old.
In the glass Grenache is warm and soft: strawberry, cherry and raspberry, with pepper and the herbs of the garrigue. Old vines and poor sites give more concentration and depth; with age come leather, dried fruit and spice. At the table the reds go with lamb and herbs, game and grilled meat, the rosés with vegetables, fish and Mediterranean cooking.