Châteauneuf-du-Pape – Say What?

This year we are contracting for 5 tons of Grenache which is a new varietal for us @KoiZen and I am getting super excited along with all of the anxiety with the rapidly approaching harvest.

Grenache (Garnacha in Spain) is one of the most widely planted grape varietals in the world, standing at approximately 456,000 acres worldwide. Of all of these acres, we will take claim of about two acres for our 10,000 pounds of Grenache this year; this should yield about 300 cases of wine.

Grenache ripens slowly and is typically harvested after Cabernet Sauvignon. This long ripening process allows the berries to accumulate a lot of sugar which yields wines typically over 15% abv with medium acidity and tannins. The predominant flavors are strawberry, black cherry, and raspberry with hints of anise, tobacco and white pepper.

The berry skins are thin which making color and flavor extraction more difficult and the wine is prone to early oxidation that causes prematurely browning.

The Rhône region in France produces more Grenache than any other place in the world with ~250,000 acres of vines. Within this region is a famous town called Châteauneuf-du-Pape which produces some of the most expensive wines based upon Grenache. Their wines are produced by blending Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvedre. In the US and Australia, this blend is typically called a GSM. Be on the lookout for a KoiZen GSM on the shelves in a few years.

P.S. If you are interested in exploring the world of wine, please be on the lookout for our Curated Tastings which are held about once a month. Bookmark our Calendar HERE