How to choose Grenache wine | Your guide to red grape varieties
Although Grenache is widely cultivated around the Mediterranean – the most-planted variety of the southern Rhône Valley – the Grenache grape was often referred to in the 20th century as a ‘workhorse’, used to add alcohol to cheaper table wines. However, the variety is earning respect in some places as better site selection, viticulture, and winemaking continue to transform its potential. Although the global demand for Grenache is in decline, the quality of some Grenache is not to be overlooked.
The finest Grenache wines (often blended with Syrah and Mourvèdre) are intensely aromatic, complex, and richly concentrated.
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What is Grenache like?
As with every grape variety, much depends on where Grenache is grown. Young vines, planted on fertile soils in warm climates, can produce inflated bunches with a high pH. The result is a very uninspiring drink: pale, sweet, alcoholic reds that lack freshness and finesse. However, the finest Grenache wines of Priorat (Catalunya) are sublime concoctions of rich fruit balanced by savoury tannins and fresh acidity. Alvario Palacios’ L’Ermita, a single-estate Grenache wine made in the hills of Priorat, is one of the country’s seminal luxury labels.
Young Grenache, cultivated in the southern Mediterranean, is celebrated for its open bouquet of spicy, berry flavours: raspberries, strawberries – and a touch of green and white pepper and dried herbs. It is usually a ripe, juicy style of wine, with ample fruit on the mid-palate. However, in hotter climates (such as Lodi in California), that fruit profile will display stewed fruit characteristics, such as damson, black cherry and blueberries. In addition, Grenache wines are highly prone to oxidation, which can diminish the grape’s natural fruitiness in a relatively short time. As a result, Grenache-dominant styles like Châteauneuf-du-Pape are usually very approachable from the get-go, developing aromas of leather, orange peel, and wood smoke as they mature.
Grenache by wine region
Old World
France
The signature red grape of the southern Rhône has been cultivated in France for centuries; after it travelled across the Spanish border in the 1400s. Grenache Noir is famously blended with other varieties, particularly Syrah and Mourvedre, to make Chateauneuf-du-Pape, although Grenache is equally popular in Languedoc-Roussillon. Renowned for its heat and drought tolerance, the grape’s high alcohol makes it useful for Roussillon’s Vin Doux Naturels – sweet, fortified red wine. Growers across the Languedoc, meanwhile, are increasingly rediscovering their love for the grape, focusing on new terroirs and wine styles. Leading GSM blends (Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvèdre) are complex and spicy with real depth and finesse. Single-varietal expressions, however, are comparatively rare.
Châteauneuf-du-Pape remains the GSM flag-bearer for many red wine lovers. As you would expect in a large region, output quality varies. But the greatest wines of the best years are incredibly ripe and perfumed red wine, with the advantage of silky and soft tannins. Concentration and richness in Châteauneuf-du-Pape comes from several factors: the Mediterranean climate, the stony terroir (galets) – reflecting heat into the vine canopy, and low fruit yields.
In Provence and other regions in southern France, Grenache is also used to make bright and rosé wine with aromas of sweet red fruit: strawberries, raspberries, red cherry and orange peel.
Spain
Grenache was once the most-planted red grape in Spain; the acreage increased dramatically in the early 20th century after phylloxera (a vine pest) devastated the vineyards of Rioja and other regions. As a result, growers sought a grape variety that could offer generous yields. Yet by the end of the 1900s, Grenache had fallen out of fashion; meanwhile, Tempranillo’s popularity soared. Nevertheless, a few winemakers, including Telmo Rodriguez, Alvaro Palacios and Daniel Ramos, have campaigned to maintain Grenache production with effect. Today, several 100% Grenache wines from Rioja Oriental are winning critical recognition and awards.
Some of the finest Spanish Grenache is made in Catalunya (Priorat and Monstant are the stars) in addition to Aragon and the Sierra de Gredos, situated to the west of Madrid. Indeed, old bush vines in the Sierra de Gredos yield remarkably concentrated and rich Grenache wines – they also offer great value. Ferran Centelles, former head sommelier at the legendary El Bulli restaurant in Catalunya, describes Grenache as “Spain’s greatest red grape variety.”
Sardinia
Viticulturists believe that Grenache is indigenous to the island of Sardinia. In the 1300s, the Spanish kingdom of Aragon established a colony on the island, and it is believed that Grenache (known locally as Cannonau) was shipped to Spain by visiting merchants. It is at home in the sun-baked vineyards of Sardinia, with the best sites found inland, flanking the village of Mamoiada. It is also essential to the island’s iconic red wine: Turriga. A barrel-aged Grenache blend of old vine Cannonau, Carignan, and Graciano, the wine is stupendously concentrated and gloriously ripe—a bottle for red meat.
New World
Australia
Grenache thrives in the vineyards of South Australia, particularly Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale on Adelaide’s southern outskirts. The best wines are voluptuous and perfumed, cultivated in various soils, including clay-loam, black clay, and sand. McLaren Vale Grenache from the high vineyards around Blewitt Springs are very aromatic and frequently blended with Syrah and Mourvedre. The vineyards of Kangarilla, meanwhile, benefit from significant diurnal temperature variation, producing medium-bodied and beautifully fresh Grenache.
USA
Grenache continues to be championed by the so-called “Rhône Rangers”, a group of (mostly) Californian winemakers who regard the grape as one of the world’s greatest; it also thrives in select parts of Washington State and Oregon. The Perrin family of Châteauneuf-du-Pape has had great success cultivating Grenache in Paso Robles, where vines are cooled by marine air from the Pacific.
Viticulture and wine production
Grenache is a mercurial grape but tends to produce prolific yields if planted on fertile soils or if the vines are very young. In sub-optimal terroir, the wine will lack definition, alcohol and elegance. Grenache requires plenty of heat and sunshine to achieve full ripeness, and it can withstand long periods of drought. The grape is also susceptible to bunch rot and mildew during wet weather. It perfectly suits the hot, dry, sunny climates of Spain, California, Australia and Southern Rhône Valley.
Grenache has low-moderate levels of anthocyanins (colouring compounds) and tannin, making the grape highly vulnerable to oxidation. Grenache needs to be handled with great care in the best wineries. Top cuvées may spend 18 to 30 months in large oak, cement, or steel vats. Storage in such containers allows for minimal flavour transferal and oxidation due to the size of the vessel. What emerges is a spicy, potent concoction that showcases freshness and power. Most winemakers in Châteauneuf-du-Pape avoid maturation in new oak barrels.
In Châteauneuf-du-Pape, it is also common to add a certain percentage of whole bunches – both stemmed and destemmed – into the fermentation vat to add tannin and savoury, earthy characteristics.
Of course, different regions and winemakers have their own ideas about how best to handle Grenache. At the top wineries of Priorat, Grenache and Carignan are fermented in oak vats using wild yeast. The wines are then aged in oak barrels of varying sizes for 16-18 months. Some argue that using old oak adds structure and finesse to Grenache; old vine Grenache, grown in superior terroirs, can certainly stand up to maturation in barrels.
How to choose Grenache wine
The Grenache wines of Spain, France, and the New World are as unpredictable as Pinot Noir. Almost every producer has a different preference about the proportions of other grapes, and vinification methods vary likewise. However, young Grenache wines from appellations like Gigondas in the Rhône are (usually) driven by ripe fruit and considerable alcohol: typically over 14 abv. Certain growers will use some new oak to reinforce the structure and texture to add a touch of peppery spice. Great value is offered from the vineyards of southern Rhône. Moreover, you needn’t wait a decade; these wines will peak within a few years.
However, the finest cuvées of Chateauneuf-du-Pape and Priorat are a different matter. They will improve in bottle for over 15 years, offering tertiary notes of tar, tobacco, violets and exquisite depth.
Explore our wine collections including Grenache blends and single-varietal Grenache Noir
FAQs
What is Grenache similar to?
Although Grenache is often endowed with high alcohol, the skins contain few tannins. These wines are relatively low in acid and taste fruity and full-bodied on the palate. Yet the best examples possess a transparency of flavour and delicate colour reminiscent of Pinot Noir.
What to pair with Grenache?
Young Grenache is often very potent: these are wines to serve with casseroles, barbecues, and richly sauced meats. Fine wines deserve Michelin-grade gastronomy. Serve Chateauneuf-du-Pape with wild duck.
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