Cropped view of young women hands clinking glasses and drinking red wine. Girls enjoying winter weekends inside contemporary barn house.
When I was in kindergarten, a boy in my class saved his potato chips from his lunch all week. At the end of the week, he gave me all the chips and asked me to be his Valentine. They were Lay’s potato chips, and to this day every time I eat them, I smile and fondly remember my first Valentine.
Smells and flavors can immediately take us back in time. Unlike sight, sound and touch, smell and taste go straight to the olfactory bulb, right next to the amygdala and hippocampus which trigger emotions and memories. A good many of my fond memories center around wine, especially since I have been in the business for 18 years. Grenache is that wine that always puts a smile on my face and stirs up happy memories.
The grenache grape is a crowd pleaser like the malbec varietal. It is one of those wines that can range from light-bodied to full-bodied. The wines vary from extremely affordable to high-end, very sought-after bottles like Châteauneuf-du-Pape, and the cult California wine Sine Qua Non. It typically has nice bright fruit without being sweet, and finishes soft and easy.
France has championed the grenache grape and still has the most acreage planted, but Spain was its original homeplace. It was first grown in Aragon, a region in northern Spain. Strangely enough, Algeria is the fourth largest growing area for the grenache grape.
Grenache typically imparts flavors of strawberry, cherry, raspberry, cinnamon, light spice and candied fruit rollup which reminds me of grade-school lunches. Grenache is grown all over the world, but there are some distinct taste differences between countries. Spain has a slightly warmer growing climate and produces wine with a higher alcohol level. The juice tends to be fuller-bodied and spicier than the wines produced in France and the US. Grenache made in France, primarily in the Southern Rhône, tends to have less alcohol because the weather is slightly cooler. The flavor profiles lean toward smoky, herbal notes as well. The US sticks with the New World wine approach, with most of the grenache produced staying very fruit-forward, with floral notes and slight acidity on the finish.
The grenache grape is golden in color. The vines have deep roots, making it a very self-sufficient, drought-resistant grape. It also is a high-yielding grape, which means the winery can make even more delicious grenache wine for all of us!
I once heard grenache grape referred to as that overlooked friend you always underappreciate. You see them out at a restaurant and warmly smile because you have great history and memories with them. The grenache grape is that wine I always remember fondly, and I am never disappointed when I find it poured in my glass time and again. Enjoy!
Elspeth Brown is the owner of Maggie B’s Wine & Specialty Store, 10 C South Main Street in Weaverville. For information, visit MaggieBsWine.com or call 828.645.1111.
