Grenache Wines

Grenache is one of the world's most widely planted red grape varieties. It is known as Garnacha in Spain, where it is generally thought to have originated, and Cannonau in Sardinia, so how you pronounce it depends on which side of the Pyrenees you're on. A late-ripening, heat-loving variety, it achieves ultra-ripeness in the sun, making wines naturally low in tannin and high in alcohol, rich in red fruit (strawberry, raspberry, cherry) with sweet and peppery flavours and characteristic garrigue (wild herb) notes. Old vines can produce wines of extraordinary complexity and depth. In France, Grenache thrives in the sunny south, where it is usually part of a blend. In the southern Rhône it is the dominant grape of Châteauneuf-du-Pape and a mainstay of Côtes du Rhône and Ventoux; across the Languedoc and Roussillon it appears in Pic Saint-Loup, Faugères, Minervois, Corbières and Côtes du Roussillon, as well as in the fortified sweet reds of Banyuls. In Spain it often stands alone to make wonderfully fruity and spicy reds, and old-vine Garnacha from Priorat produces wines of extraordinary concentration and mineral depth. Our range reflects this, from Côtes du Rhône and Châteauneuf-du-Pape to the Languedoc, Roussillon and Priorat, plus a white made from Grenache Gris. At Wines Direct we champion Grenache in all its expressions.