Grenache Blanc

Watch Out World, Grenache Blanc is Coming Back!

The white skinned version of the much more widely planted Grenache Noir, Grenache Blanc used to be one of the most important grapes in France until we all fell in love again with Sauvignon Blanc in the 1970s and 1980s.

The once bulk wine regions of France and South Africa are taking Grenache Blanc very seriously again and are producing some of the best value white wines on the planet.

Flavour

Grenache Blanc comes in a variety of styles, but good fruit (stone or tropical depending on the heat in the vineyards) and the spicy pepper and cumin flavours are present in every form.

Style Range

Grenache Blanc is mostly used in dry white wines, either blends or varietals. The better standard varietal wines tend to be tense, waxy, full bodied and full of stone fruit and tropical fruit flavour. The best examples develop very well with oak ageing, adding smokiness and pepper and then honey and nut after a decade of bottle age.

Structure

Food Pairings

Varietal Grenache Blanc pairs with a wide range of meat dishes, all the way to spicy lamb chops. The important thing is to pair up the spices in the wine with some spices in the food, so raid your spice rack for cumin, fennel and white pepper.

Growing Regions

FRANCE
Widely grown in Roussillon and Languedoc and often blended here with Southern France’s Usual Suspects of Rolle, Viognier, Roussanne, and Marsanne.

Grenache Blanc is one of the white grapes allowed in the white blends of Chateauneuf Du Pape.

SPAIN
Big in north eastern Spain as Garnacha Blanca, especially in the regions of Priorat and Rioja.

SOUTH AFRICA
Increasing in popularity following very successful trials from KWV (the leading South African wine and spirits producer) and their Mentors Range Grenache Blanc, fast approaching iconic status.