Taste and Talk Thursday 20th April
Theme: The revival of Grenache
Join Darby and friends to discuss Australian Grenache. It’s becoming more popular as a varietal over the past few years. Plus we are seeing Grenache Gris and Grenache Blanc.
Come along with a glass of something made from Grenache. Maybe a varietal, maybe a GSM blend, even a Grenache Gris or Blanc. If you haven’t been to one of these events before this is footnote1 tells you how it happens.
Grenache in Australia
It’s been a roller coaster for this variety in Australia.
It was the mainstay variety for making ‘port’ for many years, but in the transition in tastes from fortified to table wines starting in the 1960s Grenache was regarded as an inferior variety.
Concerns about an oversupply of wine in Australia in the 1980s lead to Government vine-pull schemes, especially in South Australia. It wasn’t until the 1990s that anyone recognised that we could have a major export market for our wine.
Fortunately a few growers kept tier old vines, and the variety retained an important role in blends, especially the GSM blends of the Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale regions.
But more recently Grenache Blanc2 has taken off
Buy some Grenache
Our wine partner3 has several offers for Grenache in six-packs and dozens as well as individual varietal and GSM wines. One such offer is illustrated below.
Reminder
There are still a few items available in the De Long Wine Map clearance sale.
On the morning of the event I will send out a reminder and a Zoom link to all subscribers. You can join the Zoom meeting via desktop, laptop tablet or phone. At 5pm we start with a general discussion of the theme, usually related to alternative varieties. Participants are encouraged to have a glass of wine, perhaps related to the theme, and to share their thoughts about it. It’s a bit of fun and you can catch up on alternative wine gossip and perhaps learn something as well.
See Vinodiversity’s page, including a list of producers about Grenache Blanc
If you buy from links in these newsletters and posts I receive a small commission which helps to defray the costs of running my various activities, including this newsletter, supporting alternative varieties.