WBW# 62 A Grape By Any Other Name

This month's subject for Wine Blogging Wednesday is well known grapes and their other names. The idea is to taste wines labeled with their lesser known varietal synonyms, and it is being hosted by Dale Cruse over on Drinks Are On Me.

Garnacha is a name of a grape planted in Spain, and it has quite a few synonyms. It's roots may lie with the Phoenicians, who are suspected of populating the Iberian Peninsula with many varieties of grapes, although there is also the belief that viticulture in Spain progressed independently. In Italy, specifically Sardegna where the grape is called Granaccia or Cannonau, there is a belief that the grape is indigenous to the island and therefore originated there. Garnacha migrated north east over the Pyrenees into France. Of course, this is where the grape is probably best known as Grenache, the French name for the grape that is so ubiquitous in the Languedoc-Roussillon, and most celebrated in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, as it is the main or sometimes exclusive component of that wine. Regardless of where this wine originated from, I have been a fan of this grape in it's many variations of flavor, texture and style for a long time.

For me, the Garnacha/Cannonau/Grenache grape provides a very useful food wine. Usually a bit rustic in nature, but with a sweet ripe fruitiness. The grape tends to make wines of relatively light to medium red color, but some can be quite dark if yields are kept low, or when other varieties are blended in, such as Syrah or Cabernet Sauvignon. This is done in areas such as Châteauneuf-du-Pape in France and Priorat in Spain.

I chose to have two separate meals with two separate wines on two separate days, and I chose Garnacha and Cannonau for the wines.

Wine #1
2005 Celler de Capcanes Mas Donis Barrica Old Vines, Montsant Spain. $12.99
Celler de Capcanes is a cooperative that was started in 1933 in a sub-section of the Tarragona DO. They sold all their wine off in bulk until 1980 at which point they started to sell the unfermented grapes. In 1998 they started to vinify at the cooperative and sell the wine under their own name. Montsant was given DO approval in 2001. 85% Garnacha 15% Syrah

I had this wine with grilled pork chops spiced with coriander and cumin, sweet potatoes with mole poblano butter, and a corn, poblano, cherry tomato medley. The food was great! I wish I could say the same about the wine.

Notes: The wine had a purplish red color and was clear. The nose was very tight and faintly displayed red berries, oak and Elmer's glue. The flavors were equally muted. Some soft tannins, cherries with a bit of chocolate. Short finish. I coaxed it for a few hours but nothing developed. Maybe it was an off bottle, but I imagine it was correct. The wine never showed up for dinner. Fair-

Wine #2
2005 Sella & Mosca Cannonau di Sardegna Reserva $13.99
Sella & Mosca was founded in 1899 by a couple of Piedmontese business men, and today is owned by Campari. 100% Cannonau.

I had this wine with home made pizza. Fresh mozzarella, fresh tomatoes, bacon, red onions, sausage and arugula. Basically, what was leftover in the fridge.

Notes:The color was very light, clear scarlet color, with some orange to the edges. Ripe red raspberries and dried cherries, earthy touch of wet straw and bit of a spicy note. On the palate a very focused sweet-fruited entry. Mid palate was soft with good balance of fruit and acidity. Flavors were fairly simple, showing chocolate cherries with some spiciness, and earth. Medium to short finish. Good+

I wish I could have found the time to add a New World and French Grenache to this posting, but I just couldn't find the time. Thanks to Dale Cruse for hosting. I had fun doing this. Cheers!