Rediscovering Garnacha/Grenache Wines

One of my favorite grape varietals is Grenache. I had my first introduction to a Grenache wine at the beginning of my travel writing career when I was in the south of France covering a Saint-Tropez hotel renovation, Château de la Messardière. While exploring the area near the hotel, I visited Chateau des Marres in Ramatouelle. I sampled a Grenache rosé and fell in love with this light wine with a hint of Grapefruit on the nose. It was the essence of everything I experienced in Provence bottled in a beautiful glass container. At the time, this particular vineyard’s wine was not imported into the United States. I enjoyed it so much, I decided to mail my clothing back home in a box and filled my suitcase with bottles of this lovely Grenache rosé.

Grenache wines hadn’t been heavily marketed in the United States at that time, and being young and new to wine tasting, my palate was delighted and demanded more. I set out to discover the history of Grenache grapes and to source more bottles at my local wine shops. I honestly had no idea how far down the Rabbit Hole I would fall and how difficult it could be to find Garnacha/Grenache wines in some of my local restaurants. Fortunately, many of the Grenache rosé wines have been easier to procure, especially since a few Hollywood celebrities began producing their own wines.

Over the years, which researching various wine varietals, I became acquainted with colleagues who had a deep appreciation for the Garnacha/Grenache wines. One such colleague is Andy Abramson, who’s enthusiasm for Grenache wines is unparalleled. I began to notice more than the Grenache rosé wines I was familiar with and was introduced to more than a few red and white wines and even International Grenache Day through his social media posts.

Garnacha (aka Grenache) originated in Spain’s Northeastern Region of Aragon. Carbon dating shows that Garnacha has been around since 153 BCE, and was first written about in 1513. Over the centuries, Garnacha/Grenache wine expanded to Southern France, Italy, parts of Greece, and eventually entering Africa (via French Colonies) and Australia. Today, winemakers in Spain and the French region of Roussillon have remained true to their roots and have produced beautiful wines for a renewed focus on this variety.

This past summer I had the honor of blind tasting more than 80 Garnacha/Grenache European Quality Wines from France and Spain, as a selected jury member for the International Competition Grenaches du Monde. It was the first time this prestigious competition has made it across the Atlantic to the United States. And with the historic U.S. setting for the competition and celebration gala in NYC, the Mayor of the City of New York, Eric Adams, issued a Proclamation declaring September 14, 2023 as International Garnacha Grenache Day NYC.

I was blown away by more than a few of the wines presented for critique, and excited to find out which wines were the final winners. I traveled to New York City after the competition to meet many of the other jury members and to sample the Garnacha/Grenache wines with the winemakers themselves. The evening of September 14, The European Garnacha/Grenache event route ended its United States tour with a walk-around tasting at City Winery New York City. This gave an opportunity for sommeliers, restaurant and hospitality professionals, distributors, and importers to discover European Garnacha/Grenache Quality wines through tastings and seminars.

The selection of European Garnacha/Grenache Quality Wine varieties available at City Winery New York City’s walk-around wine tasting included more than 300 wines. I would love to say I was able to sample them all, however I did give it my best effort. I have a few new favorites to add to my list to look for and will enjoy keeping my eyes open for Garnacha/Grenache wines to try when dining out or popping into wine shops on my travels. I also have a growing list of vineyards to add to my list of future travel plans around Europe.

Rediscovering Garnacha/Grenache wine is my newest passion and I look forward to adding more European Garnacha Grenache Quality Wines to my personal wine cellar to share with friends who stop by for a visit or to enjoy in front of a winter fire when I’m at home working on my writing projects.

To learn more about European Garnacha/Grenache Quality Wines, visit garnachagrenache.com. Be sure to ask your favorite restaurant or wine shop if they offer a Garnacha/Grenache wine and give it a try!