Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/1011938
{ SOMMjournal.com } 97 teractive blind tasting led by SommFoundation, were offered as Grenache produc- ers from Cariñena, California, France, Australia, and Italy assembled to represent their respective wines. The first seminar, dubbed "Garnacha Unveiled," included Garnacha/Grenache evangelists Pedro Ballesteros Torres, Master of Wine and joint regional chair for Spain for the Decanter World Wine Awards; Even Bakke of Clos de Trias; Randall Grahm of Bonny Doon Vineyard; Chelsea Franchi of Tablas Creek Vineyard and Château de Beaucastel; Angela Osborne of Grace Wine Company; and Master Sommelier Emmanuel Kemiji, owner of Miura Vineyards and Managing Director at Clos Pissarra. Moderator Bob Bath, MS and a professor of wine and beverage studies at The CIA, helped set the stage with Ballesteros Torres, who in turn provided a funny, expertly crafted, and vivid description of the Garnacha grape. "It's a lot like the actor Daniel Day- Lewis: Every role he plays, he becomes a part of that role," he said. "That's like Garnacha—it takes on the personality of where it's grown and the style in which it's made. It's not like Cary Grant, who was like Cary Grant in every part he played." Bath then motioned to Grahm, a venerable avant- garde winemaker he said had "referred to Grenache as the 'Cinderella grape.'" "Today, we're taking her to the ball," Bath quipped, adding that roughly 90 percent of Garnacha grows between France and Spain. "It's a significant crop for these countries, and in terms of global plantings, it ranks seventh. Why? Its adaptability. About 6,500 acres are planted in the U.S., of which roughly 4,500 are in California alone." Ballesteros Torres also added some regional insights on Cariñena. "We have more old-vine Garnacha planted than any other region in Spain," he said. "Every year brings many different micro-winemaking styles. We believe it is coming into its own because, simply put, it's delicious." The fascinating "Garnacha Unveiled" seminar featured a strong panel of Garnacha/ Grenache evangelists. Pictured from left to right: moderator Bob Bath, MS, followed by panelists Randall Grahm of Bonny Doon Vineyard; Pedro Ballesteros Torres, MW; Emmanuel Kemiji, MS, owner of Miura Vineyards and Managing Director at Clos Pissarra; Chelsea Franchi, Sr. Assistant Winemaker for Tablas Creek Vineyard; Angela Osborne of Grace Wine Company; and Even Bakke of Clos de Trias in the Ventoux. The Grenache vines of the Warboys Vineyard in McLaren Vale, Australia, bury their roots deeply in limestone for sustenance. Breaking Down Garnacha Garnacha grape vines produce medium to large clusters of small- to medium- sized berries. It's an early-budding, late- ripening variety with a high natural sugar content and moderate acidity. Clay soils give way to high-vigor Garnacha, but in sandy soils the vine is more restrained. It's an incredibly drought-resistant variety which thrives in the hot, dry climates found throughout Spain and in France's Rhône Valley, as well as in California's Central Coast region. In Spain, plantings of Garnacha Tinta can be found in Sierra de Gredos, Ma - drid, La Mancha, Mentrida, Priorat, Mon- sant, Valencia, Rioja, and Navarra, with heavier concentrations of vineyards in Calatayud, Campo de Borja, Somontano, and Cariñena. As we dove into the wines during the morning session, Bath zeroed in on DOP Cariñena, which lies midway between Madrid and Barcelona and was in the literal path of the Crusades. In the third century B.C., Roman citizens of the city Caræ (modern-day Cariñena) consumed a blend of wine and honey, and roughly 1,800 years later, King Ferdinand I of Aragon demanded it for his trips to France. And while phylloxera ravaged Europe, the vines of Cariñena, rooted in sandy soils, escaped devastation. DO status was awarded in 1932 and, today, Cariñena is the largest of four DOs in Aragón with 35,588 acres under vine in 14 municipalities, as well as an astounding 1,540 resident growers all committed to Garnacha. As the tasting began, Bath displayed an incredible photo of dark-red, iron- rich soils with 50- to 100-year-old head-trained vines rooted in jagged and fractured rocky schist and gravel. Any vine that can manage to snake its way through such treacherous terrain is more than deserving of a summit dedicated to its multi-faceted styles. The following wines were sampled during the morning session: