As we head into the fall and winter months, it is an opportune time to change our wine selections. In this column, I will focus on red wines produced from the grenache grape variety.
Popular grenache-based red wines are typically brimming with loads of lush red fruit, a cornucopia of ripe cherry and cherrylike fruit, so its initial appeal for many wine lovers is its deliciousness and charm.
Wonderful examples of this style of grenache include the 2015 Qupe Grenache “Central Coast” (about $22 a bottle). Winemaker-owner Bob Lindquist is a longtime champion of this grape variety in California. This lighter style of grenache not only is scrumptious, it can help tasters transition from pinot noir to wines more suitable for Mediterranean food. And it comes at a remarkable value.
Another 100 percent grenache-based red that’s well worth a search is the 2015 Birichino Grenache “Vieilles Vignes” (about $22). The core of this wine comes from vines more than 100 years old, grown in the Monterey appellation of California. It is delicious because of the ripe, lush fruit, but it also has a savory undertone that makes it a fun wine to drink with a wide range of food.
While grenache may be the second most widely planted red grape in the world, it took me a long time to understand and truly appreciate its merits. While I have enjoyed its approachable fruitiness right out of the gates, after my second or third sip, I always wanted more out of the wine.
To address that response, wineries often buttress grenache with other grape varieties, such as syrah and mourvedre, to provide more mojo, complexity and completeness. These “GSM” wines created their own niche in the wine world, and the category really blossomed.
A terrific example of this style of wine — and a great value as well — is the 2014 Domaine de Durban Beaumes de Venise (about $22). Beaumes de Venise is a village in France’s southern Rhone Valley. While it may be best known for producing a standout dessert white wine, it also produces wildly rustic, lighter-hued, warm and savory GSM reds.
I love longtime family-owned wineries like this one, especially when I can smell and taste the vineyard’s surrounding sun-baked countryside and its wild herbs and shrubs. For a different dining experience, try this one with roast chicken or pork chops.
Notable for its great value, I highly recommend seeking out a bottle of 2011 Sella & Mosca Cannonau de Sardegna Riserva (about $17). Originally, cannonau was thought to be part of the grenache grape variety, but now there is speculation that one may be a descendent of the other.
This particular offering has the red-fruit nuances one would expect, but with a much more earthy, rustic edge bordering on gamey that really makes it ideal for Mediterranean-inspired food such as pizza, pasta and lighter meats with lots of vegetables.
Finally, for an absolutely top-notch, pure grenache, I recommend the 2015 Sucette Grenache (about $54). Produced by master sommelier Richard Betts from vines more than 90 years old in Vine Vale, Australia, this is the finest grenache I have had from the New World.
Yes, the red fruit and mojo are there, but what I love in particular is its superb savory, provocative core and its old-vine intricacies and pedigree. I was taken by the first sip and the many subsequent tastes thereafter. This wine is definitely worth searching out.
Chuck Furuya is a master sommelier and a partner in the DK Restaurants group. Follow his blog at chuckfuruya.com.
