Varietals - Grenache or Garnacha

Garnacha or Grenache

The Garnacha grape is known in France as Grenache and in Italy as Cannonnau.  It is a firmly Mediterranean grape in character, with bright red cherry flavors that can range from dry to very sweet.  Lush, languid, and filled with sunny flavor, it is a favorite for blending with the leaner and more acidic Tempranillo. 

Garnacha produces excellent, juicy reds and fruit filled blush wines in Navarra, but the best examples of Garnacha are found in Priorat.  In the northeast corner of Spain, the Priorat region is a hilly area covered in vines.  The Garnacha grapes are allowed to ripen well here and the resulting wines offer dramatic cherry, spice, and an alcohol content up to 16%.

The deepest, darkest Priorat wines come from vines as old as a century, but there aren't so many of those left, and the current vogue for bodacious reds has inspired new plantings. Wines from newer vines tend to be lighter than those from low-yielding old vines, so there is a range of intensity available. However, there's no way to tell from the label whether you're getting something from young vines. Price may offer a key: The top Priorats go for $30 to $50
or more.

There are rare white versions of Priorat wines available.  These unique wines are made from the Garnacha Blanca grape and offer big, full flavors of pineapple, vanilla, and honey.  Much more difficult to find outside of Spain, these wines run at a slightly higher price than their red counterparts.

For more information on wines go to VinoList - The Wine Database

If your interested in writing for us, please contact us.