Grenache
APPEARANCE
ON THE VINE: Grenache tends to have fairly big, round berries, carried on a bunch that can be quite straggly and loose, yet rounded. The colour of the berries when ripe is amber red, similar to Cinsaut.
IN THE GLASS: The colour is fresh purple, rather than dense black, with some transparency.
SMELL
Distinctive black pepper and spice – the cloves, nutmeg and cinnamon of a Christmas cake.
TASTE
Grenache can be quite tannic, with a lean mid-palate.
ORIGIN
One of the world's most widely planted grape varieties, Grenache is a quintessentially Mediterranean red variety. It originated in the northern province of Aragon, Spain, and spread to Rioja and Navarre before being planted extensively both north and south of the Pyrenees, notably in Roussillon. By the 1800s it was well established in the southern Rhône, and there's little doubt that it's the same variety as Sardinia's Cannonau, supporting the theory that the variety came from this island off Italy to Spain when Sardinia was under Aragon rule between 1297 and 1713.
IN SOUTH AFRICA
Grenache found its way to the Cape Colony in the 19th century, but it was only in the early 1900s that Abraham Perold, professor of viticulture at Stellenbosch University, confirmed the identity of the grape. The meager plantings are mostly to be found in the Olifants River region, with some in Malmesbury, Worcester and a few other sites.
ELSEWHERE IN THE WORLD
It can produce powerful reds whose greatest expression, from old, low-yielding vines, is to be found in Châteauneuf-du-Pape (Château Rayas) in France and in Australia's Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale. In France its clear pink colour has made it sought after for rosés. Known in Spain as Garnacha Tinta, it's particularly popular in Rioja and Priorato – it fleshes out Tempranillo, too. Also grown in Argentina, Chile, Australia, Italy, California, as well as North Africa where it's used in sweet fortified wines.
AGEING POTENTIAL
Depending on the style, best drunk within seven years.
MATCHING WITH FOOD
The leanness of the wine can make a good partner to a spicy, fatty lamb dish and other rich Arabian and Mediterranean food.
SERVING TEMPERATURE
Best between 15°C and 16°C.