Golds for Australian Grenache

All four Australian Grenaches awarded gold medals at the 2021 Global Drinks Business Grenache Masters Awards are from South Australia with three from the Barossa Valley and one from McLaren Vale: Wakefield/Taylors Wines Jaraman Grenache 2020

Gold medal winner, Hutton Vale Farm’s 2017 Grenache was described by judge Patrick Schmidtt as “a wonderful find from Eden Valley” while Schild Estate’s two gold medal wins – for the Schild Estate Wines Grenache 2019 and Edgar Schild Old Bush Vine Grenache 2019 were described as, respectively, ‘brilliant’ and ‘remarkable’.

Schild Estate grows some of the oldest Grenache vines in the world. Of Edgar Schild Old Bush Vine Grenache 2019, Mr Schmidtt said, “This remarkable Grenache comes from some of the oldest vines in the world, with the planting believed to be more than 165 years old – testament to the potential for this variety to live for unusually long periods due to its natural resistance to wood diseases.

“The wine produced from this ancient Barossa vineyard is, as one might imagine, rich in flavour, although not heavy in style, with notes of red berry and cherry, pepper and plum, along with a touch of menthol, dark chocolate and cedar”

While the Grenache vines for the Schild Estate Wines Grenache 2019 are younger, between 30 and 70 years old, the winery has still created a “brilliant drop from the Barossa’s Schild Estate. Crammed with ripe red berry fruit, from cherry to strawberry, with a touch of vanilla and dried mint, and some dark chocolate too, it’s a delicious, indulgent and complex wine, that’s made especially drinkable due to its medium-weight feel and lively, dry, finely-tannic finish," said Mr Schmidtt.

Hutton Vale Farm’s 2017 Grenache is dry grown on the Angas family farm, nurtured by 6th and 7th generation family members John and Jan Angas and Stuart and Cait Angas.

Planted by Colin Angas in the 1960s, approximately 7 per cent of the original Grenache plantings failed to take to their new home and had to be replaced. New cuttings were hastily acquired, which in time revealed to be mataro which, it has since been found, makes a splendid partner for the grenache.

The varieties are still grown, and harvested together, before maturation in a combination of 20 per cent new and 80 per cent seasoned French oak for 24 months.

Mr Schmidtt said that "Hutton Vale’s Mataro hails from the same site as the Grenache, with the former grape used to fill in the gaps where the Grenache failed to thrive. The result is a wine loaded with cherry and raspberry fruit, with a touch of prune and liquorice too, then some sweet balsamic, along with chocolate, cedar, menthol and pepper. As for the structure, this is a fleshy, medium-weight red, with a dry finish, featuring plenty of mouth-coating tannins to help refresh the palate.”

Finally to the Wakefield/Taylors Wines Jaraman Grenach 20920 from the McLaren Vale. Mr Schmidtt made the distinction between the two regions in his evaluation: “This year’s Grenache Masters featured some outstanding samples from the Barossa’s Schild Estate, but, for its value, and fruit purity, I was taken by this red from McLaren Vale, made by Wakefield/Taylors Wines. The Jaraman Grenache is almost translucent in appearance, and the wine’s mouthfeel is certainly light. It has soft cherry and raspberry fruit, then milk chocolate notes from the American oak used to briefly mature the wine, before the wine starts to slowly fade, revealing notes of white pepper too, and some fine, gently grippy tannins.”

The Global Wine Masters closely have competitions for every major grape. From Chardonnay to Sauvignon, from Pinot Noir to Cabernet there is a Masters blind tasting and, after each tasting the judges report on their findings, outlining the strengths and weaknesses in terms of style and taste, as well as the top sources for the grape in question.

The Masters say that Grenache is "a grape rising in reputation and popularity".