The best Grenache in Australia is produced from old vineyards in both the Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale.

October 12, 2010

Grenache grapes

Grenache

Grenache is an important variety for many countries around the globe. While it represents less than 2% of plantings in Australia, it is one of the world’s most widely planted grape varieties.

Grenache is thought to have originated in Spain where it is referred to as Garnacha and is best known for its inclusion in the wines of Rioja. In France, it is important in the wines of the Languedoc-Roussillon and the Southern Rhône. It also has a significant presence in California.

Although Grenache has had a long history in Australia, its days of high popularity are over. Due to Australia’s heritage of fortified wine production, it was once the most widely planted grape variety, due in part to its rich fruit flavours and its ability to get very ripe. However it became less important when table wine production increased midway through the 20th century. Since then, plantings decreased rapidly, aided by the vine pull scheme of the 1970s, where a lot of old vine material was removed. Today it is still used for fortified production, however it is now most widely known for its role in table wines.

Grenache is a versatile variety and is used to make both light and heavy red wines. It is widely used in the production of Rosé due to its cherry red colour and its fragrant berry aromatics. However it can also be made into medium and full bodied reds, which have fleshy mid palates and soft tannins. While it shines as a straight varietal, with its flavours of berry fruit, cherries, earth and spice, it also blends well with Shiraz and Mourvèdre. When these three varieties are blended together, they are colloquially referred to as GSM or Rhône red blends.

The best Grenache in Australia is produced from old vineyards in both the Barossa Valley and McLaren Vale. The latter has shown its dedication to the variety by the formulation of its ‘Cadenzia’ program. This is a regional showcase of the variety and wineries are encouraged to experiment with different styles to highlight Grenache from the region.

From a viticultural point of view, care must be taken with Grenache in the vineyard to control crop load to maintain fruit concentration. During the ripening phase, baumé levels must be watched closely to avoid unpleasantly high alcohol levels.

Grenache based wines go well with a wide range of foods. The lighter styles are excellent partners to antipasto, roasted vegetables and pizza where as the heavier wines suit richly flavoured meats such as beef and kangaroo. They are also a great accompaniment to the classic Australian barbeque.

Source: http://www.winediva.com.au/grapes/grenache.asp

Clark Wine Center was built in 2003 by Hong Kong-based Yats International Leisure Philippines to become the largest wine shop in Philippines supplying Asia’s wine lovers with fine vintage wines at attractive prices.  Today, this wine shop in Clark Philippines offers over 2000 selections of fine wines from all major wine regions in the world.  As a leading wine supplier in Philippines, Pampanga’s Clark Wine Center offers an incomparable breadth of vintages, wines from back vintages spanning over 50 years.  Clark Wine Center is located in Pampanga Clark Freeport Zone adjacent to Angeles City, just 25 minutes from Subic and 45 minutes from Manila.

Wines from Burgundy, Bordeaux, Rhone, Loire, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Austria, Alsace, USA, Australia, New Zealand, Italy, South Africa, Chile and Argentina etc. are well represented in this Clark Wine Shop.

http://www.ClarkWineCenter.com

Getting to this wine shop in Pampanga Angeles City Clark Freeport Zone Philippines from Manila

Getting to the Clark Wine Center wine shop from Manila is quite simple:  after entering Clark Freeport from Dau and Angeles City, proceed straight along the main highway M A Roxas. Clark Wine Center is the stand-along white building on the right, at the corner A Bonifacio Ave.  From the Clark International Airport DMIA, ask the taxi to drive towards the entrance of Clark going to Angeles City.  From Mimosa, just proceed towards the exit of Clark and this wine shop is on the opposite side of the main road M A Roxas.

For inquires and reservations, <a title=”Click here to contact us” href=”http://www.clarkwinecenter.com/?page_id=14″ target=”_blank”>contact us here</a>

Clark Wine Center

Bldg 6460 Clark Observatory Building

Manuel A. Roxas Highway corner A Bonifacio Ave,

Angeles Clark Freeport Zone, Pampanga 2023

0922-870-5173 0917-826-8790 (ask for Ana Fe)

Wine@Yats-International.com

YATS Wine Cellars

Manila Sales Office

3003C East Tower, Phil Stock Exchange Center,

Exchange Rd Ortigas Metro Manila, Philippines 1605

(632) 637-5019   0917-520-4393  ask for Rea or Chay

Best place to buy wine in Clark Pampanga outside Manila near Subic and Angeles City Philippines is Clark Wine Center.