A Quintet of Wines To Try

For fun, today we’re talking about a few of the wines we’ve come across recently either at tastings or by happy circumstance.

Castillo de Monseran: Grenacha, Carinena DO

Spain

$9.99

An excellent, easy to drink wine at a particularly attractive price point. Typical Grenache flavors of red berry fruit with some black cherry – very juicy, a little spicy with good acidity. Good food wine. Alcohol: 12.5%. Available in most liquor stores.

Juno Sauvignon Blanc

South Africa

$16.35

This one was probably the most controversial wine at a recent South World Wine Society tasting. The notes say “gooseberry, figs, tropical fruit, and a hint of grass.” However on the night of the event descriptors were quite different and ranged from “asparagas and green pea with a hint of slate” to “chili – definitely chili” to “a dust storm in my glass – or did they just forget to wash the glasses?” One thing for sure, this is not your typical Sauvignon Blanc. If you find some, let us know your thoughts. Available in Vancouver at the brand new Legacy Liquor Store in the Olympic Village.

Domaine St Damien 2009 Cote de Rhone Bouveau

France

$20.00

Another solid value at the price point, especially being from the Cote de Rhone. A blend of Syrah and Cinsaut with a little Grenache, this wine is very full bodied with blue and red fruits and licorice. No filtering and no fining. Parker points 90-92. Alcohol: 15.1%. Available in Vancouver from Marquis Wines.

Velenosi Villa Angela Pecorino

Italy

$24.95

Fantastic value for when you want something a little different to go with seafood or Asian cuisine. Crisp, refreshing, and with an appealing touch of slate, this was a big hit at a recent fund raiser tasting in the Sutton Hotel. Proceeds went to Canuck Place Children’s Hospice. FYI: the reason why this variety shares its name with a well-known cheese remains uncertain, but could refer to the seasonal movements of shepherds and their flocks in those regions where this grape variety grows. Available in Vancouver at the Sutton Place Wine Merchant.

Vieux Telegraphe 2006 Chateaneuf de Pape

France

$74.99

Made from 65%Grenache noir, 15%Mourvèdre, 15%Syrah, and 5% Cinsault, Clairette and others, this wine is just so delicious. Full bodied and dark red to ruby color. Spicy with incense, lavender, pepper, plus copious quantities of black cherry and raspberry fruit. Old vines, hand picked, and no fining. The family has been making wines for over 100 years. Parker points 90-93. Alcohol: 14.5%. Available in Vancouver from Marquis Wines.

A Little Bit on Grenache

You have to feel sorry for poor Grenache. It has an identity problem, rarely gets any billing, is a little wild, and sometimes you don’t even know you’re drinking it.

Grenache Noir, as it’s known in France, is called Granacha Tinta or Aragones in Spain. It can also be called Cannonau in Sardinia, Alicante in some parts of France or Aragon, as well as Lladoner, Uva di Spagna, Tentillo, Tinto, or Bois Jaune. Garnacha Tintorera is not Grenache at all. Garnacha Tintorera is really Alicante Bouschet, which is not the same grape as plain old Alicante. You see the identity problem.

Whether Grenache is first or second in acreage planted worldwide depends on which source you consulted. However, Grenache is definitely not planted in as many areas around the world as Cabernet Sauvignon because it needs a long warm growing season – many wine regions simply don’t have the climate to grow Grenache successfully.

Those of you who don’t care about the geek stuff can pass over this paragraph. Pierre Galet lists some 362 clones of Grenache – which can have implications on quality and yield. Grenache will oxidizes easily if not

treated carefully in the winery, in which case it won’t age well. Treated properly, however, it often ages extremely well; some Chateauneuf-du-Papes will age for years. Grenache grows well with goblet style pruning and non-fertile, rocky well-drained soils. This grape buds early but needs a long growing cycle to ripen properly, and the yields need to be kept low to attain quality. It also suffers from coulere and downy mildew.

For those of you who like blind tastings, Grenache is lighter in color than many varietals but high in alcohol – which is an unusual combination. Add in the lower acidity, and it will help you to identify Grenache.

On the palate, Grenache is all about strawberries, pepper, roasted nuts, and spice. This grape also shows more red fruit and white pepper than its common blending partner Syrah which exhibits more black fruit and black pepper. Then, as it seduces you with its lovely fruit, it can whack you on the side of the head with its possible production of high alcohol up to 16% and intoxicating delight. Something like a bad girlfriend I suppose. Remember, this is a low acid grape with moderate tannins, but still a little on the wild, rustic side. Defiantly not as refined and elegant as a Merlot, but oh so much more fun.

Grenache often gets hidden away with many different wine styles of blended winses using it – that identity problem again. It’s used in those wonderful Tavel roses for a brunch sipper, the big dry reds from the Rhone, and also in the fortified wines of Banyuls.

Grenache rarely gets the big label billing that a Cab or Merlot does. In the Old World it hides away on the AOC regional label. The Cote de Rhones from France must have a least 40% Grenache. Wines from Roussillon have some in their blends, and it also shows up in Vin de Pays through out southern France.

The Spanish, who have been growing it for about 800 years, hide the name under the regions of Priorat with their almost black wines and huge amounts of alcohol, blend it in Rioja, and use it in Navarra for their roses. The great Spanish wine, Vega Sicilia, uses Granacha as part of its big, wonderful blends. Too bad the bank account shudders when this one is brought home.

At the other end of the spectrum, in California’s Central Valley, they tend to beat Grenache up with over-yielding vines and then use it in jug wines, although Bonny Doon and Alban show it well with their low yields and meticulous care and attention in the winery.

Australia uses it as a blend with GSMs (Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvedre): look for Penfolds and D’Arenberg. Grenache is actually Australia’s big secret ingredient. That Shiraz you’ve been drinking probably has a little Grenache in it.

However, I think it’s Chateauneuf-du-Pape that does Grenache the best by far. This is one of the main grapes of the 13 permitted in the AOC. Vieux Telegraphe and Chateau Beaucastel are at the top end, but they each use different amounts of Grenache in their blends. At the price point, they’re so much better than

cult Cabs. For a lower price point but still good quality, look for Cote de Rhone, Gigondas, and Vacqueyras.

It’s hard to make a generalization about food pairings and Grenache, as this grape comes in many styles. Banyuls makes an outstanding match with dark, semi-bitter chocolate. I’ve actually known people who have developed such an addiction to Banyuls and chocolate they’ve phoned me late at night asking if I have a bottle stashed away somewhere. Poor souls. With the Rhone Valley think roasted or meats off the barbie. And for afternoon brunches, Tavel fits the bill – but be careful of those seemingly carefree roses because there’s a big alcohol punch hidden in the fruity strawberry flavors.

So this weekend, why not forget the Cabernet Sauvignon and the Merlot. Pull out a bottle of Grenache preferably a Southern Rhone. Call your significant other, turn down the lights put some music on, and indulge in something a little different. Mind you, if you have the Beaucastel, I will not be held responsible for what happens.

Susan’s Note: I’m also long-time fan of Grenache – although it never seems to last long in my cellar. Now here’s the problem for this weekend. I have the dark chocolate but no Banyuls. Hmmm… looks like a trip to the liquor store is in order.

And a here’s how wine guru Jancis Robinson describes this grape: Grenache is an unlikely hero of a grape. Reviled or at best ignored in much of the world, it is the grape chiefly responsible for two of the great, and increasingly celebrated, red wines of the world, Châteauneuf-du-Pape and, a more recent star, Priorat. In both Rioja and Navarra it is regarded as playing a distinctly ignoble second fiddle to Spain’s vine specialty Tempranillo.

If you liked this or the Beaucastel worked, scroll up to the top right hand corner, enter your e-mail, and click on subscribe. Susan Boyce and Frank Haddad

Bordeaux at House Wines

The other night, I attended a tasting hosted by the ladies of House Wines – Michaela Morris and Michelle Bouffard. If you’re a Wine and Spirit Education Trust or an International Sommelier Guild student, this is an inexpensive way to practice your tasting notes. If your intention is to taste an array of wines and do a comparison of different styles, it’s a venue I’d recommend since you get to try new wines without having to spring for the whole bottle.

The evening was built around Bordeaux blends. The Bordeaux AOC allows for the following red grape varieties; Merlot (shown right), Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec,

Petit Verdot, and Carmenere meaning a Bordeaux is a wine with any of these grapes blended together.

The price range of the wines varied widely, peaking with the 2004 San Leonardo Vigneti delle Dolomiti IGT from Italy at $110. The opposite end of the spectrum was represented by the 2008 Trivento “Reserve” Cabernet Malbec from the Mendoza region of Argentina and cost a mere $13. The British Columbia entry was the 2006 Mission Hill Compendium VQA priced at $40, a wine that compared very well with all the foreign competition. The value wine of the evening was also the only white, a Mouton Cadet Bordeaux Blanc AOC coming in at $14. This wine is a blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon.

The event was a great value with 12 wines on offer for $40. The next tasting by House Wines is on November 9^th and is titled an Ode to Gernache. This should be a great evening as Grenache encompasses so many different styles. Hope to see you there.

Susan’s note: One thing you can be sure of with any of Michelle and Michaela’s tastings, they make learning fun and you just never know what surprises they’ll have in store for you when it comes to the wines you taste. I mean honestly, don’t these two ladies look like they’re having fun? I wasn't able to attend this one, but you can be sure I'll be on board at the Grenache tasting.

Spanish Garnacha: A Steal of a Deal

I keep bumping into the guy. First in the Bordeaux section, a couple of minutes later we’re both cruising through the Sauvignon Blancs of New Zealand. I head for Piedmont, and there he is – again. We smile at each other over Cognac, one of those “okay, this is either too weird or too funny” sort of smiles. But it’s not till we simultaneously hit Spain that we actually strike up a conversation.

Clearly, this man has a fairly upscale taste in wines. Not that I was actually checking out his purchases… much. I guess I just “happened” to notice some of the bottles. Since he obviously likes all the same wine regions Frank and I do, I wanted to see if he chose anything we hadn’t tried. Not much under $40 will find its way to his table. So when I see him piling bottles of $9.95 Castillo de Monseran Garnacha from Spain into the now groaning basket, I can’t help myself – I have to ask.

“One of the best deals going,” he tells me. Then he actually winks at me – it’s a cute wink too. “Just don’t tell too many people about it – all the more for us.” A good natured laugh and he’s gone. What the heck, at the price, if it’s awful, I figure it will pour down the drain more easily than some of the pricier stuff that’s been know to suffer the same fate. I snag a bottle.

A couple of days later I’ve got a spicy chicken stir fry on the go, a quiet evening with just my book ahead, and uh-oh – no Riesling to go with dinner. In fact, there’s nothing that seems to go with the food. I manage to catch Frank just before he goes into his meeting. “Am I absolutely crazy or do you think the Garnacha might work?”

Initially Frank’s not impressed, but after some deliberation, we decide it will probably be a more or less acceptable though not stellar pairing. With 12.5% alcohol, it’s at least not going to totally burn out the taste buds when it hits the chili spices on the chicken. I cross my fingers, open the bottle, and hope for the best. The kitchen sink is within arms reach.

The initial nose is surprising. Exotic spices – cloves, allspice, cinnamon. There’s a whisper of anise and leather too, kind of like John Wayne strolling through the kitchen chewing on a licorice Twist. Later coffee and cocoa appear introducing a not unpleasant grittiness like riding through the desert.

And it worked with the chicken too – as expected, not stellar, but not half bad. There was a complementary nature to the spices and just enough of fruitiness in the meat’s marinade to work with the wine. Alas, Tenderland Meats on Granville Island where I buy it aren’t parting with the secrets of all the seasonings they use, but they did confirm there’s allspice, cilantro, and sweet green chili peppers. I’m betting there might be a hint of papaya in there somewhere too.

Hopefully, one day I’ll run into the gentleman with the cute wink. I’d like to tell him he was right, this wine is a steal of a deal. And I wonder if he knows it also goes fabulously well with the chocolate Hedgehog from Purdy’s Chocolates that I had after dinner – that pairing is almost stellar. Sorry, Frank, I guess it slipped my mind to tell you about the Hedgehog.

The Wine: Castillo de Monseran Garnacha 2006 ($9.95) - if you find their website, please let us know because we couldn't
The Food: Chicken Chili Stir Fry from Tenderland Meats
The Chocolate: Hedgehogs from Purdy’s Chocolates
The Scoop: One of the best under $10 values going

The Secret Life of Grenache

It’s one of the world’s most planted grapes but tough to find unblended in a wine bottle. Jancis Robinson describes it as “noted for brawn rather than beauty” in her classic reference book Vines, Grapes, & Wines. A quote from a reader of What To Drink with What You Eat by Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page says Grenache resembles “Pinot Noir but kicked up a notch.”

Oz Clarke, in his Encyclopedia of Grapes, suggests Grenache is “the wild, wild woman of wine, the sex on wheels and devil take the hindmost, the don’t say I didn’t warn you.” He adds that when the Aussies gave this often underrated grape their “sexy, lush, fruit-first, high-alcohol treatment, one more irresistible, irrepressible party animal was born.”

Since party animals can be fun, for this month’s Great Grape Day, we chose a bottle of 2003 Old Bush Vine Grenache from Pirramimma in South Australia’s McLaren Vale (barrel room shown below).

The winery tasting notes let us know this vintage has “aromas of plums, cherries, violets and chocolate. These characters follow through to a complex palate that is long, rounded and flavoursome.” Okay, cherry for sure – but this is a bowl of cherries sprinkled liberally with rich, warm pepper that lingers long at the back of the tongue.

We agreed this is a wine that cries out for protein, and when we added some cold roast beef to the mix, we were rewarded with a deepening of texture and richness. Parmesan cheese was three blocks away at the local deli – a trek we didn’t feel like making – but it would probably also have been a good match. And though a Texas barbeque was even more geographically distant, we agreed a grilled steak or, better yet, lamb would be perfect with this wine.

As the evening progressed, the wine opened nicely, smoothing from a “really needs food” wine into the realm of “maybe we could sip this just because.” Still, this was one of the rare occasions when we saved part of the bottle for another evening – maybe we’re both simply still too enamored with the contemplative nature of a good Amarone or Spanish Tempranillo.

THE DETAILS:
- 2003 Old Bush Vine Grenache from Pirramimma
- Bought at Liberty Wine Merchants in Vancouver
- Cost: $31.95
- Alcohol: 14%
- One and a half years in new American oak
- Bottled under Stelvin closure

THE TRIVIA:
- Grenache (also known as Garnacha) is believed to have originated in Spain before migrating to France and, later, the new worlds of America and Australia
- Grenache is typically blended with other varietals and is one of the major components in Chateauneuf-du-Pape
- According to Tom Stevenson’s Wine Report 2006, Grenache is the third most planted red grape in the world

Chateau Pesquié: A Trio of Rhone Valley Wines

Viva the entrepreneurial spirit! Cambie Street, one of our main traffic arteries here in Vancouver, is almost closed due to construction, but that hasn’t deterred Firefly Fine Wines and Ales from opening their sassy, new liquor store. Good selection, knowledgeable staff, and a delightfully cheeky sense of humour – to date we’ve never seen a store that groups its wines into sections with names like Spicy, Crisp, and Black Teeth (the biggest, fattest, in-your-face reds in the store).

On a whim, Friday seems like a good day to check out their latest tasting: three wines from Chateau Pesquié, a family-run vineyard that operates on the principles of sustainable agriculture in the southern Rhone Valley, France.

Sujinder Juneja, from Freehouse Wine and Spirits, is pouring. First up is a 2005 Le Viognier (100% Viognier). He and I instantly agree this wine is elegant and classic with an almost austere freshness and pleasing minerality. We both suspect it may be similar to the Condrieu wines Frank is so enamored with, but since this was a spur of the moment stop for me, Frank is unfortunately not here. Still, at $29.80, I’ll pick up a bottle to see what he thinks.

Next is a 2004 Les Terrasses: 30% Syrah, 70% Grenache. Black fruits, cherry, and a hint of leather, this one is rich, full-bodied, and will be even better for the folks who arrive later after it’s had time to open up more. “Most people are shocked by the price,” Sujinder tells me. At $19.35, I am too – another bottle to take home hits the counter.

Last, we have the just released 2004 Artemia made from 70% Syrah (60 year old vines) and 30% Grenache (80 year old vines) hand picked from specific rows within the vineyard. This is the first vintage of this wine, and it’s an instant hit – especially with a couple of the Firefly staff who’ve just joined us. The consensus is that Artemia is lushly powerful fruit with a pleasing hint of chocolate on the nose, well balanced, and should age well. Tannins are soft, and the 15.5% alcohol isn’t overpowering. At $60, however, this one will have to stay in the store for another day.

And finally, just for fun, here’s an intriguing website Sujinder passed on: www.rhonegang.com. Three progressive winemakers clearly having a great deal of fun as they join forces to promote their wines.