The Wine Club · Grape Discovery Masterclass

Grenache

Spain's great red, France's secret weapon — and somehow still an underdogAragón, Spain · Medieval — documented in Aragón from the 14th century

The Origin Story

Grenache's story begins in Aragón. The grape has been documented in northeastern Spain since the 14th century, where it was known as Garnacha and grown across the rugged interior as the everyday red of the region — warm, generous, and deeply coloured. Its spread followed Spanish political power.

As Aragonese rule extended into southern France, Grenache travelled with it, taking root in the Languedoc and Roussillon and eventually becoming the dominant variety of the southern Rhône, where it forms the backbone of Châteauneuf-du-Pape and some of France's most celebrated wines.

It is one of the great Mediterranean grapes — planted across Spain, France, Sardinia, and the New World, adaptable to heat and drought in a way that few varieties can match. And yet it remains perpetually undervalued, perpetually overshadowed by Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah, perpetually the grape that serious wine drinkers know they should pay more attention to but somehow never quite do. The underdog status is unearned and persistent.

Tasting Profile

BodyMediumAcidityMedium

RaspberryDried StrawberryRed PlumSalineWhite PepperLeather

Grenache produces medium-bodied reds of elegant warmth — raspberry and dried strawberry fruit, white pepper spice, a silky texture that gives the wine an approachability unusual for its complexity, and a finish that carries its aromatic character long after the last sip. The tannins are fine-grained, the acidity moderate, and the alcohol tends to run high — a grape that loves heat and shows it. At its best it is one of the most food-friendly reds in the world: versatile, generous, and never aggressive.

In our portfolio: Tamarack Cellars 'Ciel du Cheval Vineyard' Grenache, Red Mountain, Washington State — where extreme diurnal temperature shifts and ancient mineral soils push the grape toward unusual precision and structure, producing a Pacific Northwest expression that sits comfortably alongside Rhône examples costing three times as much.

In Comparison

If you like

Pinot Noir

Silky texture, red fruit, and a transparency that shows every decision made in the vineyard. Demands more from the winemaker than almost any other grape and rewards more from the drinker.

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Grenache

More warmth and generosity than Pinot Noir — strawberry and raspberry giving way to dried herbs and a long spiced finish. Same silky texture, more Mediterranean sun.

This is your inihaw na liempo wine. The bright red fruit lifts the smokiness of the grill, the spice matches the char, and the silky texture keeps everything elegant. Also exceptional with roast chicken, grilled sugpo, and anything with a sweet-savoury glaze.

In Our Portfolio

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Tamarack Tamarack Cellars 'Ciel du Cheval Vineyard' Grenache 2020 ₱2,200.00

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