Grenache excels at expressing the nuance of Australian terroir. Its heady perfume, bright flavours and supple tannins are enhanced by rich, earthy tones and mineral grip from different geologies, which is being captured in a growing selection of pristine, understated wines from single vineyard sites.
Newfound respect for grenache has also made it a precious resource due to its scarcity, representing only 1.1% of vines planted in Australia, according to data from Wine Australia. Winemakers are therefore determined to show this variety at its best, using a gentle hand in the winery and dialling down the alcohol content so that the delicate flavours and textural qualities of grenache from different sites can be amplified without distortion.
Within its Barossa Valley vineyard, Alkina has identified nine special micro-terroir polygons, each measuring about one-third of a hectare and with significantly different soil profiles characterised by iron-dominated schist. This motherlode of old grenache vines has resulted in a formidable suite of single site wines.
At Yangarra, chief winemaker Peter Fraser also has access to superior grenache sites – the High Sands and Ovitelli blocks within Yangarra’s Blewitt Springs vineyard – and he highlights the differences between them through minimising extraction and gently working the tannin profile with minimal pump-overs during fermentation, to relax the overt influence of tannins and emphasise suppleness on the palate.
Adelaide Hills winemaker Taras Ochota, who tragically passed away in 2020, was a crucial figure in Australia’s modern style of grenache winemaking, treating the grape with the finesse of pinot noir. Today, Taras’ wife Amber continues the legacy of their wine brand, Ochota Barrels. An important wine made from a special Blewitt Springs site – the Fugazi – continues to show the same intriguing personality that has made it a standout attraction since 2008.
Proving that new grenache vines also produce wines of taut, fragile beauty, Swinney winery in the Frankland River region of Western Australia has made especially exciting wines with fruit from 2004-planted bush vines. Swinney’s 2021 Farvie Grenache, made by winemaker Rob Mann, proves that an exciting and more expansive era for grenache in Australia is just beginning to dawn.
