Grenache is an unlikely hero of a grape. Until recently reviled or at best ignored in much of the world, it’s the grape chiefly responsible for some of the world's most celebrated reds, most notably Châteauneuf-du-Pape.
Grenache is the second most widely planted variety in the world and though found in all parts of the world, its home is in Spain and Southern France.
When we speak of Grenache we usually refer to Grenache Noir, the red grape. But there’s actually a lot of Grenache Blanc to be found as well and to a smaller extent also some Grenache Gris.
Grenache is a grape variety that blends well with other varieties and also at Binivista we usually "marry" it with other varieties like Merlot, Callet or Syrah. It provides a beautiful soft and juicy fruit as base for blends. A bright and "happy" fruit we might call it and thus great as base for both rosé and young reds.
Grenache is a sturdy and relatively easy variety to grow. It ripens late and thus benefits a lot from the sunshine on Mallorca. It’s generally spicy, berry-flavoured and soft on the palate. It produces wine with relatively high sugar levels, and it needs careful control of yields for best results. Characteristic flavour profile of Grenache include red fruit flavours (raspberry and strawberry) with a subtle, white pepper spice note. Grenache wines are highly prone to oxidation so careful winemaking is key here.
At Binivista we use our Grenache both for rosé and red wines. For the rosé we pick the grapes around 20 days early to get a lower alcohol degree, a higher acidity and in general less concentration. As our Grenache wines tends to carry quite a high yield, the harvest in 2 passes makes a lot of sense and helps us ensure a superior quality in the grapes left for the red wine production. This by no means imply that we pick the "bad grapes" for the rosé, but very simply that we select the grapes that are best destined for rosé at this point and leave a smaller proportion of clusters on the plant to ripen further. These clusters will be located ideally on the vine, be of ideal size and of even maturity. All factors that ensure that will gain further in quality by another 20 days of hanging time.
