Grenache / Garnacha

The prime name of this variety in the VIVC register is Garnacha Tinta (VIVC variety number 4461), and its country or region of origin is Spain. No parents are known: the pedigree and parent fields of its VIVC passport are blank and its full pedigree entry reads "NO", so the parentage of Grenache is unknown. VIVC does record offspring. Its passport for Alicante Henri Bouschet (VIVC 304) names Bouschet Petit as parent 1 and Garnacha Tinta as parent 2, and gives the pedigree confirmed by markers as "PETIT BOUSCHET X GRENACHE". WineWiki's VIVC-derived lineage data lists that variety, Garnacha Tintorera, as the one child of Grenache.

• VIVC prime name: Garnacha Tinta (variety number 4461), berry skin colour noir
• Country or region of origin recorded by VIVC: Spain
• Parents: unknown; VIVC records no known parents
• Offspring recorded by VIVC: Alicante Henri Bouschet (VIVC 304), from Bouschet Petit x Garnacha Tinta

Garnacha Tinta, or Grenache Noir, is an ancient black grape variety from Spain, thought to have been introduced to France during the Middle Ages. Sardinia offers a competing local claim: there, where the variety is known as Cannonau, locals claim it had its roots on the island before being exported to Spain and France when the island was part of the kingdom of Aragon. At the end of the last century Grenache was planted on more land than any other grape in the world apart from La Mancha's white Airén, because as Garnacha it was Spain's most common red wine grape; in this century much of it has been uprooted as part of the EU vine pull scheme.

• World vineyard area: 163,000 ha in 2015, with France and Spain accounting for 87% of it
• A variant with particularly hairy leaves is planted in Spain as Garnacha Peluda and in Roussillon and western Languedoc as Lledoner Pelut; it is customary to blend the hairy-leaved and regular versions
• Garnacha Tintorera, the 'dyer' version of Garnacha, is Spain's name for Alicante Bouschet, which is widely planted, notably in Almansa

Garnacha Tinta is a highly vigorous, upright variety that is extremely drought resistant and adapts easily to different soil types, though it is sensitive to autumn frosts. Its upright growth and strong, sturdy trunk make it ideally suited to being grown as a water-seeking bush vine in hot, windy areas, and it is relatively late ripening, so it can be grown successfully only in quite warm regions. In Spain Garnacha is widely planted all over the northern half of the country; in Rioja and Navarra it is regarded as playing second fiddle to Tempranillo, although there are pockets in Rioja Alta upriver of Nájera and in Rioja Baja in the high vineyards of Tudelilla where Garnacha vines are renowned for the voluptuous flesh they can bring to a Rioja. As Grenache, the vine is planted all over southern France, and Grenache Noir is one of the most important red wine grapes of the Languedoc.

• Priorat: what has most dramatically revived Garnacha's reputation in Spain is the intense, minerally top wines grown on the schists of Priorat, where ancient Garnacha bush vines provide the backbone of many of the top wines
• Roussillon: Grenache is the chief ingredient in the sweet, strong vins doux naturels of Banyuls, with similar wines such as Maury and Rivesaltes made further north
• Southern Rhône: blends often include Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre and other local varieties such as Cinsault and Carignan
• Sardinia: the variety is particularly important there as Cannonau, and Calabria and Sicily also grow some
• Australia: more and more bottlings from the Barossa Valley carry the name Grenache, either alone or as an acknowledged ingredient in a blend with Syrah and Mourvèdre
• Elsewhere: in California it is widely planted but chiefly associated with the Central Valley; old vine Grenache bottlings are emerging from South Africa, and the variety is also grown in Israel and North Africa

If Grenache-based wines have one single characteristic, it is a sweet ripeness, coupled with quite tough tannins if yields are low, and the variety can reach extraordinary ripeness levels, a general characteristic of Grenache everywhere. Garnacha Tinta produces nervous wines with a high alcohol content, and the wines carry the red berry notes of Grenache. The relatively thin skins of Grenache have persuaded many winemakers, most notably in Provence, to make rosé from it, and in Navarra Garnacha has traditionally been used for pale wines labelled rosado or, slightly darker, clarete. In northern Spain, provided yields are restricted, and particularly if vines are relatively mature, Garnacha can produce some alluring rich, spicy reds, although the wine can also be much softer and jammier than Tempranillo.

• Style: a sweet ripeness, with quite tough tannins if yields are low
• Alcohol: nervous wines with a high alcohol content
• Aroma: red berry notes
• Rosé: relatively thin skins make Grenache a frequent rosé grape, most notably in Provence

Garnacha Tinta is often blended with other varieties to achieve a better balance. Grenache/Syrah/Mourvèdre, or GSM, is the classic blend for the southern Rhône's best red wines, among them Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Gigondas, Vacqueyras, Lirac, Tavel and bottlings from Rasteau and Cairanne; within the blend Syrah adds structure and longevity and Mourvèdre can add an exotic gamey, almost animal note. Syrah is regularly blended with Grenache to give it structure, boosting colour, tannin and acidity and adding dark fruit character. In the Languedoc, Grenache Noir has long been blended with Carignan, Syrah, Mourvèdre and, sometimes, a bit of Cinsault. Garnacha is among the primary grapes of red Rioja blends, alongside Tempranillo, Graciano and Mazuelo (Carignan), and Rhône-inspired GSM blends are thriving in Australia, South Africa and the United States.

• Southern Rhône GSM: Syrah adds structure and longevity; Mourvèdre can add a gamey, almost animal note
• Rioja: Garnacha is one of the primary red grapes, with Tempranillo, Graciano and Mazuelo
• Château de Beaucastel in Châteauneuf-du-Pape: Grenache and Mourvèdre each constitute about a third of most blends
• Garnacha Tinta's yield: between 2 and 8 t/ha

The Châteauneuf-du-Pape of Château Rayas is made from Grenache Noir alone, and Álvaro Palacios's L'Ermita is a case of ancient Garnacha bush vines providing the backbone of top Priorat wines. The Roda bodega values top quality Garnacha as highly as fine Tempranillo. One critic's suggested Grenache-dominated wines include Château Rayas and Château de Beaucastel Hommage à Jacques Perrin, both red Châteauneuf-du-Pape; Domaine Santa Duc Gigondas; Domaine du Mas Blanc Banyuls hors d'age de Solera; L'Ermita from Álvaro Palacios in Priorat; Greenock Creek Grenache from the Barossa Valley; and David Grenache from Swartland.

• Châteauneuf-du-Pape: Château Rayas (Grenache Noir alone); Château de Beaucastel, Hommage à Jacques Perrin
• Gigondas: Domaine Santa Duc
• Banyuls: Domaine du Mas Blanc, hors d'age de Solera
• Priorat: Álvaro Palacios, L'Ermita
• Barossa Valley: Greenock Creek Grenache; Swartland: David Grenache

Primary sources: https://www.vivc.de/index.php?r=passport%2Fview&id=4461, https://www.vivc.de/index.php?r=passport%2Fview&id=304, https://www.oiv.int/public/medias/5888/en-distribution-of-the-worlds-grapevine-varieties.pdf, https://www.wsetglobal.com/knowledge-centre/blog/2024/why-do-we-blend-wine. Secondary sources: https://www.jancisrobinson.com/learn/grape-varieties/red/grenache, https://www.jancisrobinson.com/learn/grape-varieties/red/garnacha, https://www.decanter.com/learn/wset/syrah-and-shiraz-grapes-climatic-winery-influence-most-important-regions-wset-level-2-285043/, https://winefolly.com/grape-varieties/grenache/. Textbook: WSET, Understanding Wines: Explaining Style and Quality (Level 3), 2016, ISBN 978 1 905819 39 3, p. 69. Last verified 2026-10-04