OK...I recall, a few years ago, a "white grenache" in ads...So, the recent "while merlot" posts, along with my recollection of how horrible the "white zinfandel" tastes to me, and the recent "shiraz-grenache" blend discussion makes me wonder...
Is Grenache usually a grape used for red wine?
Remember, be kind, I'm a newbie.
Jeff
You bet it is. There are some fine ones from Spain and the Rhone just to mention a few.
Yes, it is (arguably) the principal red grape of the Southern Rhone Valley in France, most notably in the wines of Chateauneuf-du-Pape. In Spain, it's known as "Garnacha" and makes the readily available Sangre de Toro marketed by Torres. It's also known as "Cannonau" on Sardinia.
Be aware, though, that in France there's also a white sport of Grenache called Grenache blanc (white Grenache), but I doubt that that's what you're talking about (and it's a lot less common).
HTH Mark Lipton
Yep, it is. I have also seen White Mouvedre, White Cab. etc. All are low end wines.
When I go wine tasting around California very very few wineries have White anything available. Seems these products are made mostly by the big mass producers.
"JR" wrote .......
Jeff, broadly speaking, white wine can me made from "most" red grapes - it is the prolonged contact with the skin during the fermentation process which extracts the pigments from the grape skins which impart the colour to red wine.
Champagne is the opt quoted example - Pinot Noir (red) is one of the approved varieties used in Champagne.
The grapes are harvested and pressed - with the skins immediately separated - thus very little or no colour goes into the juice prior to fermentation.
Thus, white merlot; white cabernet; white grenache etc are possible.
We are always kind ;-)
While there is no such thing as a white merlot grape (but you CAN make white wine from red grapes, Chamagne being the prime example), there is such a thing as a white grenache grape. This is a semi-aromatic grape, very interesting, can give some surprisingly good results in southern french whites.
"Joe "Beppe"Rosenberg" skrev i melding news:kcednfISN-wbw9XZnZ2dnUVZ snipped-for-privacy@comcast.com...
Great! :-)
In fact, White Riesling is a name for the 'real' Riesling, like Weisser Riesling in Austria, and Riesling Bianco in Italy (afaik). On the other hand there is the 'Black Riesling' (Schwarzer Riesling) and even 'Red Riesling' (Roter Riesling) - both are dark skinned mutations of White Riesling (and give white wine). Adding to the confusion, there is also a Schwarzriesling ('Blackriesling') a local name (German, mainly in Wuertemberg) for the red Pinot Meunier grape!
:-) Anders
White grenache is used in the white wines from Southern RHone with other varieties, though not marsanne, which is used in Northern RHone. Cheers Nils Gustaf
ahem. ahem....
That I knew, but, given the taste of (at least in my opinion) White Zinfandel, I figured that all of the "white" varieties were a) crappy and b) created for people who just couldn't take the body and "heaviness" of a red wine of the same grape.
Possible...OK...is there a "white cabernet" though?
OK, so, thanks to ALL of you for the great info...but, now I have to comment...before this discussion, I had NEVER seen Grenache on a bottle of wine before (but maybe I wasn't looking hard enough) and b) if the "white grenache" I saw in the ads (had to be a California BIG wine producer, after all, it was on a TV commercial, the red variety of grenache grapes, or the white varitety.
My guess. The red one, without the skins.
jeff
Just to clear this up. I know you guys know, but I found the exchange confusing, so:
Chateauneuf du Pape:
encepagement: grenache, syrah, mourvèdre, picpoul, terret noir, counoise, muscardin, vaccarèse, picardan, cinsault, clairette, roussane, bourboulenc.
This is the same for red and white. Note no marsanne or grenache blanc.
In the Cotes du Rhone white appellation:
Cépages principaux : grenache blanc, clairette blanche, marsanne blanche, roussane blanche, bourboulenc blanc, viognier blanc. Cépages secondaires : ugni blanc, picpoul blanc.
So, both grenache blanc and marsanne (blanche -- is there any other?) are allowed as principal varietals (80% or more) in the southern rhone.
For the record and if anyone cares, for CdR red and rosé:
Cépages principaux : grenache noir, syrah noire, mourvèdre noir.
South of Montelimar grenache noir must be > 40%.
Cépages secondaires : carignan noir, cinsaut noir, counoise noire, muscardin noir, camarèse noir, vaccarèse noir, picpoul noir, terret noir, grenache gris, clairette rose.
The secondary varietals combined cannot represent more than 30%.
Here's my question: why the heck is "grenache" masculin, anyway? Is that so in spanish too?
-E
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