Garnacha is the most widely planted red wine grape in Spain. It is a versatile wine…..great with food, but because of its normally rounded tannins it is good on its own as well.
The same varietal is known as grenache in much of the world, and there are many wonderful ways it is used. In France, it is an important component of Chateauneuf-du-Pape and the rose Tavel from the Rhone region. Grenache is the most common grape in Baynuls dessert wine. It is also found in Australia, where it is often part of a jammy GSM (grenache-shiraz-mourvedre) blend, and frequently found in port-style wines.
I eat alot of Spanish food, and like food and wine pairings where both are from the same area. That often leads me to garnacha. It is commonly seen as a booster for red wine blends. But recently there have been more producers who let garnacha either stand on its on, or star in the show.
Garnacha tends to be big on flavor. It can be light in color, but both the garnachas mentioned here have a lovely deep hue. Grown in regions where it is hot and dry to accommodate the late ripening grapes, garnacha is characterized by spicy fruit and somewhat high alcohol content.
