Grape Spotlight: McLaren Vale & Barossa Valley Grenache at the Rediscover Australia Roadshow

Grenache (also known as Garnacha in Spain) is one of the world’s most widely planted and celebrated red wine grape varieties. Known for its juicy fruit character, soft tannins, and adaptability to warm climates, Grenache is the backbone of some of the most beloved wines from France, Spain, and the New World. 

Grenache is typically a medium- to full-bodied red wine with a bright, fruit-forward character. Despite its juicy fruitiness, Grenache usually has soft tannins and moderate acidity, making it an approachable and versatile wine. It’s known for flavors of:

• Ripe red berries: raspberry, strawberry, cherry
• Subtle spice: white pepper, cinnamon, clove
• Herbal and floral notes: lavender, thyme, dried herbs
• Earthy undertones: leather, tobacco, garrigue (a term for Mediterranean brushland scents)

Grenache is believed to have originated in the Aragón region of northern Spain. From there, it spread across the Mediterranean, finding a natural home in southern France’s Rhône Valley, as well as in Italy’s Sardinia (where it’s called Cannonau). Today, Grenache is grown in nearly every major wine-producing country, including the sun-drenched vineyards of McLaren Vale to the ancient soils of the Barossa Valley. 

I was able to witness these expressions first hand during a recent Rediscover Australia Roadshow tasting at the Australian Embassy where I was blown away by the single varietal Grenache wines as well as a few GSM (or SGM) blends.

Grenache has a long history in Australia, first planted in the 19th century by European settlers. Initially used in fortified wines, Grenache found new life in the late 20th and early 21st centuries as winemakers began to appreciate its potential for producing elegant, medium-bodied reds that thrive in Australia’s warm climate. 

McLaren Vale is known for its diverse portfolio of grape varieties that reflects the region's varied grape-growing conditions -- most notably due to topographical factors and proximity to the cooling influences of the Gulf Saint Vincent. Altitudes differ markedly according to the location, and different mesoclimates are created as a result of varying degrees of exposure to the Mount Lofty Ranges in the north and the Sellicks Ranges in the south. Overall, the climate is Mediterranean, with fresh sea breezes helping to moderate temperatures during the growing season. Chilly winds from the hills also cool the grapes on specific vineyard sites, helping to retain acidity and structure. McLaren Vale boasts some of the country’s oldest Grenache vines, some over a century old. Here, Grenache is often grown in sandy soils that impart a delicate perfume and supple texture to the wines. 

The Barossa Valley is a compact region with a variable landscape of gently elevated terrain and flat valley floors. The overall climate is hard to categorize as conditions vary – not only due to the elevation but also because of the inland locations and the coastal influence. The valley floors are very hot during summer, with temperatures often exceeding 95°F (35°C). This, along with scant rainfall and limited natural water in the soil, makes irrigation essential.  The Barossa Valley is home to the oldest still-producing Grenache vines in the world courtesy of Cirillo Estate Wines and thanks to the absence of the phylloxera louse. In general, the Barossa Valley produces Grenache with a touch more structure and savory depth. These wines often show layers of dark cherry, licorice, and gentle spice, underscoring the complexity that Grenache can achieve in the right hands.

Here are the Grenache single varietal wines and Grenache blends that raised our consciousness regarding the Australian version of this classic grape variety. 

Yangarra Estate Vineyard 'High Sands' McLaren Vale Grenache 2021 ($300)
Yes, out of our price range but crafted from old-vine (1946) Grenache grapes grown in the sandy soils of the High Sands vineyard. Aged on lees in a combination of old Austrian and French oak foudres, puncheons, and ceramic eggs for 11 months. Exceptional.

Seppeltsfield Barossa Grenache 2021 ($24)
This wine is made from Grenache grapes sourced from Seppeltsfield plantings on the western ridge of the Barossa. It is made in a ‘joven’ style without any oak maturation which allows the natural fruit characters of this grape variety to shine. This wine was vinified through the historic 1888 Gravity Cellar– which is highly regarded for its small batch format and gentle maceration. Built into the hillside on a series of terraces, gravity guides the flow of fruit down through the winery to deliver gentle extraction of color, flavor, and tannin. Mouthwatering. 

Yalumba Bush Vine Barossa Grenache 2022 ($20)
This wine is made from old bush vines planted between 1920 and 1965 in various vineyards across he Barossa Valley floor. A range of terroir, including climate and soil types, can be found at each site, helping to make this individual and intriguing style of Grenache. Love it. 

Yalumba Tri-Centenary Vineyard Barossa Grenache 2022 ($60)
This wine is made from Grenache grapes from 820 gnarly old bush vines that were planted in 1889 at the Ancestor Vineyard in Greenock -- two acres of deep sandy loam soil over red-brown clay. The wine undergoes an unusually long maceration period of 372 days post-fermentation, which contributes to its silky texture and refined palate. Fantastic.

Paxton McLaren Vale Grenache 2022 ($33)
The grapes are harvested from bush-vines planted in ancient soil formations at their Thomas Block vineyard. This vineyard experiences colder than average McLaren Vale mornings, and warm summer days, providing the perfect ripening conditions for producing the most elegant of Grenache. Luscious.

John Duval Wines 'Concillo' Barossa Grenache 2022 ($30)
The grenache was sourced from survivor bush vines located south of Tanunda along with an old vine parcel from Moppa. After fermentation the wine was matured in a mix of tank (50%) and seasoned French hogsheads (50%) for 8 months. Elegant layers of fruit.

Zonte's Footstep 'Love Symbol' McLaren Vale Grenache 2021 ($25)
The grapes were sourced from the Blewitt Springs sub-region of McLaren Vale, known for its ideal conditions for growing grenache. Expect soft-yet-juicy tannins and racy acidity, which create a mouth-watering experience.

Organic Hill Premium Founders McLaren Vale Grenache 2022 ($25)
Sourced from NASAA Certified Organic and Bio-dynamically grown grapes at the Organic Hill Wines vineyard which is located in the Golden triangle of McLaren Vale. Probably my favorite. 

Brash Higgins 'GR/M' McLaren Vale Grenache/Mataro 2020 ($46)
This wine is a blend of 70% Grenache and 30% Mataro sourced from a biodynamically farmed site at Yangarra Estate in McLaren Vale. The grapes were hand-picked and co-fermented using wild yeast in an open fermenter for two weeks, contributing to a harmonious and balanced blend. Soft and silky. 

Hither & Yon McLaren Vale Grenache/Mataro 2021 ($25)
This regeneratively farmed wine is a blend of 70% Grenache and 30% Mataro from their Hunt and Sand Road Vineyard. The  Grenache was first planted in 1960 using its own rootstock and a heritage clone. The Mataro was established in 2008 and both grapes were planted in an alluvial fan of sand, clay and gravel.  Especially friendly.

Torbreck 'The Steading' Barossa Valley GSM 2022 ($43)
The Steading (50% Grenache, 31% Shiraz, and 19% Mataro) is a collection of 45 different sources of fruit, some from our own vineyard estates as well as from growers on a share-farming basis. The wine is a result of the serendipitous discovery of small remnant patches of withered ancient vines, some well over a century old, that have been carefully nurtured back to life. These vines survived the worldwide phylloxera outbreak of the 1880s, and a century later, the vine-pull scheme in the Barossa in the 1980s.   Layers of juicy fruit.

From Teetotalers to The World's Best Cabernet: Australia's Galvanized Wine Group

"The irony is that Thomas Goss and successive generations were strict teetotalers" Tony Parkinson, Group Principal, Galvanized Wine Group

The story behind this ironic situation originated in 1854 when Thomas Goss purchased a tract of land using his Ballarat Goldfields proceeds.  For the next 144 years Goss and successive generations of family teetotalers farmed grain and sheep on this homestead. But in 1993 Tony Parkinson purchased parcels of this historic farmland and began to plant grape vines. And "in 1998, Keith Rowland, great-great-grandson of Thomas Goss sold the Ingleburne homestead property to Tony Parkinson ..... which reunited the original Thomas Goss section (80 acres) of farming land".  From teetotalers to vineyards.

The Goss farm is located in McLaren Vale, an area well suited for grape vines with its winter dominate rain and dry summer days which transition to cool breezy evenings. Parkinson explored the region when he decided to enter the wine industry and first purchased part of the Goss farm in 1988. This parcel would become Penny's Hill Vineyard and the first vines were planted in 1991. In short order he expanded his vineyard acreage and "set about establishing the brand with distinctive 'red dot' packaging and the slogan, 'Proudly Australian. More so McLaren Vale'". The first Penny's Hill brand wine appeared in 1997 with the introduction of the Penny's Hill 1995 Vintage Shiraz.

When Parkinson purchased the last section of the original Thomas Goss farm in 1998 the property was used as a cellar for the Penny's Hill brand. However, in order to celebrate the 200th birthday of Goss, Parkinson's recently incorporated Galvanized Wine Group (GWG), launched the Thomas Goss label featuring McLaren Vale red wines and Adelaide Hills white wines. The new label was not only a tribute to Goss and his family's long contribution to the region, but also a playful jab at their teetotaler lifestyle.

I learned this information at a recent lunch with Parkinson and current GWG winemaker Alexis Roberts at BlackSalt Fish Market & Restaurant in Washington DC.  Their visit to D.C. was near the culmination of a two week sprint across North America promoting their story and wine brands. Besides the Penny's Hill and Thomas Goss labels their portfolio includes The Chook (Australian for chicken) which was once known as the Black Chook until lawyers became involved.  During the lunch we sipped the wines listed below and discussed the Mediterranean-style climate of McLaren Vale, the cool climate Adelaide Hills, pests (apple moth, rust mites, birds for late harvest grapes, some kangaroo), markets (Canada is their #1 export market), and these delicious and affordable wines. In sum, the Thomas Goss label provides extraordinary value and across the board were excellent; The Chook, more value with a playful flair; and Penny's Hill, class. The latter includes the recently awarded The World's Best Cabernet Penny’s Hill 14V Edwards Road Cabernet Sauvignon. From Teetotalers to The World's Best Cabernet. Cheers.

Thomas Goss 16V Riesling ($16.99) - Lemons, texture, abundant acids from large diurnal temperature swine in the Adelaide Hills. Domestic market understands that Riesling is equivalent to dry wine so no need for the International Riesling Foundation scale.

Thomas Goss 16V Chardonnay ($16.99) - Fermented in neutral oak plus occasional lee stirring provides a complex and weighty wine that showcases the Chardonnay fruit. Once again, plenty of length and acidity at the tail.

Thomas Goss 15V Shiraz ($16.99) - More weight at this price point plus very balanced fruit. The blackberries transitions to slight spice and a bright finish.

Thomas Goss 14V Cabernet Sauvignon ($16.99) - More dark fruit, complex with a slightly spicy finish. "Dynamic" for a single word descriptor.

Penny’s Hill 14V Edwards Road Cabernet Sauvignon ($27.99) - Sourced from higher elevated five acre block. More elevated, narrow window to harvest.  A classy wine, drinkable now but possesses rounded tannins and acids for aging. Recipient of The World's Best Cabernet  Enough said.

Penny’s Hill 14V Cracking Black Shiraz ($27.99) - Sourced from the Malpas Road Vineyard and aged 18 months with 20% in new French oak, this wine oozes with complexity. The Bay of Biscay clay soil dries to a crackle, hence the name, and limits vigor providing greater grape quality. Expect dark fruit, some chocolate, and firm tannins.

The Chook 14V Shiraz-Viognier ($19.99) - Co-fermented Shiraz with a small amount of Viognier provide an enhanced aroma. This is a deliciously smooth wine, very ripe fruit that lingers with the subtle tannins.

The Chook NV Sparkling Shiraz ($19.99) - Produced using the Charmat method from between 3-5 year old wine, this sparkling wine has been produced since 2005. There is plenty of body and lift where the fruit and spices linger...... Great value.

A New Exploration of Australian Wine with Two Hands Wine & #WineStudio

I must confess that I've not sampled Australian wine for a number of years. This changed with the commencement of October's Protocol Wine Studio's #WineStudio series featuring Michael Twelftree and his Two Hands Winery. Not sure the reason for the exclusion of Austrian wine from my cellar, perhaps because there are so many other local and global wine options. Or perhaps I mentally framed Australian reds as fruit forward, jammy wines made for the international market. Well, this #WineStudio session has sure changed that perception; in brief these wines are elegant, structured, and provide soft or firm tannins, depth, and balance.

A more detailed rendition of the winery's founding can be found on their website, but for an overview, the winery was founded in 1999 with the goal to "make the best possible Shiraz-based wines from prized growing regions throughout Australia". Twelftree leveraged his wine contacts in the U.S. and the U.K. to launch the brand where it critical acclaim allowed it to grow where Robert Parker named Two Hands "the finest negociant south of the equator". Today the winery is owned by Twelftree and Tim Hower, whose investments have allowed the winery to acquire additional estate vineyards.

Two Hands categorizes their portfolio into five series: Flagship Series, Single Vineyard, Garden, Picture, and Twelftree.  The #WineStudio session focused on the Picture Series, Garden Series, Flagship Series while learning more about the Twelftree, the winemaker - Ben Perkins, Australian Shiraz, and the Barossa Valley & McLaren Vale wine regions.  The Barossa Valley is located in South Australia - northeast of Adelaide. The region was first settled by German immigrants who tried vinifying Riesling before they realized the climate was to warm for this cold climate grape. Over time Shiraz were deemed more suitable for the continental climate with old-vine Shiraz a contemporary cult classic. The valley does host several distinct micro-climates with wider diurnal temperature shifts. Riesling is still planted, but at higher, cooler vineyards and Grenache and Mourvedre have become serious players. The McLaren Vale wine region is located south of Barossa and enjoys a seasonal, Mediterranean climate. Dry reds are king with Shiraz the emperor, followed by Grenache, Mourvedre, and Cabernet Sauvignon - somewhat similar to Barossa.

Here are the wines that we sampled from these regions. In general they we fantastic with the Ares a masterpiece.

The Picture Series - Serious wines with irreverent labeling
"Every wine in the Picture Series has its own inspiration, our own take on popular culture. With some old school Polaroid imagery by friend and photographer Don Brice and a quirky back label descriptor, the aim is to bring a smile to your face when you pick up the bottle, reminding you that wines should be approachable and of course… fun."

Gnarly Dudes 2014 Shiraz ($34, 14%) - The fruit is sourced from mature vineyards from the Barossa’s western ranges and showcases the gnarly vines of historic Shiraz. Aged for 12 months in French oak, which 15% was new, and the remainder in one to six year old barrels . Rich, dark plums throughout with pepper and mint perhaps. Firm but short finish. 

Sexy Beast 2015 McLaren Vale Cabernet Sauvignon ($34, 14%) - Aged 15% new French oak with remainder in one to five year old French oak barrels. The nose jumps out of the bottle. Leads to textured dark fruit, earth and tobacco, and finishes with tight tannins. Let this one breathe or age.  

Angels Share 2014 McLaren Vale Shiraz ($34, 14%) - Aged for 12 months in 6% new French oak and the remainder in one to six year old French and American oak. Layered fruit with rounded structure with slight white peppers and leather. Solid acids. Decanted but tannins could use more breathing or aging.   

The Flagship Series - Represents the very finest varietal selections from each vintage.
"With a strong commitment to the philosophy of ‘quality without compromise’, Two Hands Wines use a strict classification process to ensure that only the best barrels each vintage are deemed worthy of being bottled as a Two Hands product."

Ares 2012 Barossa Valley Shiraz ($140, 14.8%) - Produced to showcase Shiraz. Aged 24 months in new and one year old French oak and then re-tasted continually to determine the best barrels. A luscious and silky smooth wine with layers of dark berry fruit and chocolate.  Plenty of texture and depth with easy tannins. 

The Flagship Series - Our super premium range of Shiraz from six of the finest Shiraz growing regions in Australia, showcasing regionalism of Australian Shiraz.
"Two Hands source premium fruit from six of the finest Shiraz growing regions in Australia, from which we produce the Garden Series."

Bella’s Garden 2014 Barossa Valley Shiraz ($69, 13.5%) - Aged for 18 months in French oak with 17% new and the remainder in older oak. A blend of their best Shiraz barrels from across the Barossa Valley region. This label’s color reflects the red soils of the Barossa’s western ranges where all the best Two Hands vineyards are located.  The wine and fruit are dark black, a noticble chewy depth, and a spicy and firm tannic tail. Very nice.  

Lily’s Garden 2014 McLaren Vale Shiraz ($69, 14.5%) - Aged for 18 months in 6% new French oak and the remainder in two to six year old American and French oak. Represents the best barrels from their McLaren Vale estates. The label’s blue color takes inspiration from McLaren Vale’s close proximity to the sea.  Lighter color and depth than Bella's Garden but smoother tannins and a clear transition from smokey spices to mocha. A fantastic wine.